First off, just want to say thanks for all the good wishes and for indulging me in my mini leave of absence around here. It's been a busy and fun few days of family get togethers and future planning. I've been cooking a bunch and have a lot of great new recipes to share with you but just haven't had the time to post. In the interim, we've eaten a lot of this incredibly yummy granola...on top of yogurt, added to bowls of cereal and purely as "little" handfuls. I mean A LOT!! Somebody (I won't mention names but they did just get a pretty gorgeous ring from someone near and dear to us) even took a full ziploc baggy of it on the plane to Europe a couple of days ago and is probably happily munching away as I write!! So I think I can safely say that if granola is something you like, particularly one of the peanut genre, you cannot go wrong with this version.

We've been on a granola kick lately--I posted this Maple Cherry Granola only a few weeks ago and then there's the ever popular Richie's Favorite Granola but I think this may be my favorite of them all!! It's truly addictive, dangerously so, and what's worse, it's crazy easy to make. Really. It comes together in minutes and pretty much uses pantry staples. Sorry!

There's just something about the combination of the peanut butter with the perfection of the chocolate and tang and chewiness of the dried apricots, that makes me want to hide every jar in the back of the pantry! Only true love for a person could tempt me into any sharing. Try it and you'll see what I mean!!

Peanut Butter Granola with Chocolate and Apricots

Makes about 10-12 servings

Prep Time:  5-7 minutes; Bake Time:  45 minutes, plus time to cool so that you can add the chocolate and apricots

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

The Recipe

1.  Preheat oven to 300ºF. 

2.  Place the oats into a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, add the maple syrup and peanut butter. Turn the heat to medium and stir the two together until the mixture becomes liquidy and pourable. Pour it over the oats in the bowl and use a large spoon to quickly mix everything together, making sure the oats are evenly coated and that the mixture is clumpy. Spread the mixture out onto a large rimmed baking sheet into an even layer and place into the oven.

3.  Bake for 45 minutes, giving the granola, a good stir at the halfway mark and then making sure to spread it out evenly again. It will turn golden and smell fantastic! Remove from the oven and let cool. Then add the apricots and chocolate and stir together. Store in airtight containers at room temperature for several weeks (I like to use mason jars).

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from Perfect Plates in 5 Ingredients by John Whaite.