Pumpkin Spice Granola Bark

on Oct 25, 2020, Updated Jan 27, 2022

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Some of you may know that in addition to my channel, I also host a weekly YouTube talk show called The Vegan View, which has new episodes every Monday morning.

The show also has a Facebook group filled with thousands of incredibly kind members of the vegan and vegetarian community and offers support, advice, recipes, and a lot of laughs!

I was having a conversation with a member of the Vegan View Facebook group recently and mentioned that I would try to recreate her favorite autumnal Trader Joes item: Pumpkin Spice Granola Bark. Which happens to be vegan but is not available year round.

This recipe is the result of that conversation and hopefully, it means that we can all enjoy this delicious creamy, crunchy, chocolatey treat yea-round.

Hope you love it!

x Nicole

Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Granola Bark

By: Nicole Vranjican

Creamy dark chocolate beneath crunchy clusters of pumpkin spice granola and cinnamon roasted cashews.

Prep: 15

Cook: 0

Chill Time: 15

Total: 30

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Ingredients

1 16oz bag Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips , or chocolate of choice
1 tbsp refined coconut oil, not virgin
1.5 cups pumpkin spice granola, or flavor of choice
1/2 cup chopped roasted cashews , I use cinnamon cashews from Karma Nuts
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
flakey sea salt , I use Maldon Sea Salt

Instructions

Prep

Lay out a cookie sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper so that it's ready to go when the chocolate is hot and melted.
Then roughly chop the cashews and set aside.

Melt the chocolate

Combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe dish and heat for 10 seconds. Stir and repeat one more time, then stir vigorously until smooth. You may want to heat once more if necessary but the trick is to stir the chocolate until it’s smooth instead of expecting it to be completely melted in the microwave (this could cause the chocolate to overheat)
Once smooth and creamy, drizzle all but 2-3 tbsp of the melted chocolate onto the lined cookie sheet and smooth into an even rectangle (not all the way to the edges) About 1/4 in. or thicker is good.

Decorate

While the chocolate is still warm, add the remaining toppings: granola, chopped cashews, pumpkin pie spice and a light sprinkle of flakey sea salt (I often add sprinkles at this point too!)
Gently press the toppings down so that they stick and drizzle with the remaining chocolate in a zig zag pattern on top. Jackson Pollock it up! (This helps the toppings stay in place)

Set

Freeze for 10 minutes or until set, then break into pieces and enjoy!
Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer (I prefer the freezer because cold chocolate delicious!)

Notes

You can use any flavor granola you like and swap the pumpkin spice seasoning for cinnamon or omit it if desired.

If you don’t have cinnamon roasted cashews, use whatever roasted nuts you have and enjoy. Fun flavors like maple almonds or candied pecans work well too.

Fancy Sprinkles makes my favorite vegan sprinkles! These are cute for a variety o occasions.

The coconut oil is important in this recipe. Here’s two things to keep in mind.

The tablespoon of oil added offers creaminess to the finished product while also inuring that the chocolate sets and has a nice snap to it. Chocolate usually needs to be tempered to snap properly, but this is a great shortcut that has the same great texture as tempered chocolate without the work. As long as the chocolate is cold/cold-ish, it will stay nice and firm while maintaining its creaminess.
Make sure the coconut oil is refined, not virgin or else it will impart a strong coconut flavor. Refined coconut oil is neutral tasting.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider giving this recipe a 5 star rating and share this page with your family and friends!

I’d love to see your homemade chocolate granola bark, so tag me in a picture on Instagram so I can see!

Happy cooking 😊

x Nicole