Banana Bread Granola

Do you ever have a recipe that you know you want to make and then for whatever reason it doesn't happen for days...weeks...or even months?  This happens all of the time to me. Eventually I stubble over it again and realized that I really should get on my game. Well this granola is just that recipe. I don't recall the first time I saw banana bread granola but I remember thinking what a clever idea. I love banana bread. And granola. Why yes please?!?!

Mr. J has been begging for some better breakfast options and we decided having granola on hand would be a good thing for those quick mornings. We had it just about every week for a while but I slacked off the last few weeks and switched over to muffins.  Anyway, I have my smoothies in the morning. Mr. J has his granola.

I happened to have one ripe banana and it dawned on me that it was the perfect time to test out this banana bread granola. At first I was a little skeptical that one banana would do the banana bread flavor justice. But you know what? It really does taste like banana bread. There are definitely clumps where there is really strong banana flavor.  Love granola clusters. 

This has now become my new favorite granola recipes. And I might just be the one eating it for breakfast the next few days. 

Banana Bread Granola

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake breakfast banana oatmeal walnuts

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Ingredients (serves 12)

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp flax seed
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 medium ripe banana, mashed (~1/2 cup)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the oats, cinnamon, sugar, salt and nuts together in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, warm the coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Once the coconut oil is melted and combined with the other liquids, remove from heat and whisk in banana puree until well combined. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.

Spread the mixture evenly onto one baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. The coconut oil will help it crisp up well, but be sure to watch it carefully as it can brown quickly.

If you don’t toss the granola while baking, it will make get clumpy, But if you want a more crumbly granola, toss/stir a bit at the halfway point to break up the clumps. I toss once in the middle of the baking time to ensure the edges don't burn.

Once the granola is browned, remove from the oven and toss just a bit to let the heat escape. Cool completely on the baking sheet. Store in a container with an air-tight seal.

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