Banana Granola

Hello! I hope you are feeling as sunny and warm as the bay area was today!

Even if not, though, this granola will bring the sun inside. Our whole house smelled like the most glorious baking for aproximately 6 hours. The granola was not even baking for an hour, but its fragrance lingered in a wonderful way.



My housemates and I hovered over the pan all morning, grabbing bites here and there. You can also make this delicious, crunchy, addictive granola to give away as gifts (I don't know anyone who wouldn't be thrilled with a bag of their own!). It's easy to make and a crowd pleaser.

The golden clusters are hearty from banana, oats, and slivered almonds, and indulgent with coconut oil, honey, and a long caramelization time in the oven! It's great over yogurt with banana and honey.

Also, this was my first time baking with coconut oil...I loved how it complemented the sweet, toasty flavors of this granola. I will definitely be using it again in the future!

Banana Granola
Yield: About 5 cups of granola

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats (no quick oats here--the texture is important!)
• 1 cup (or more) puffed rice
• 1 cup slivered blanched almonds (I got mine at the bulk bins at Safeway)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (50 g) coconut oil
• 1/4 (approx 85 g) maple syrup, agave or honey if not vegan
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 ripe bananas, mashed

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, convection if you have it. Line a rimmed baking sheet (or two, if you have two) with foil or parchment paper.
2. Mix oats, puffed rice, almonds, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
3. In a small saucepan or microwave container, melt together coconut oil, syrup/honey, and banana. Stir in vanilla extract.
4. Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix well to combine. Spread on prepared baking sheet(s).
5. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the granola is well caramelized and mostly dried. Since there's more banana, it might take longer to dehydrate than normal granola, but stick with it.
6. *Note: if you like more clumps, don't stir the granola, but be aware that if you only have one baking sheet like me, the edges will probably burn before the middle is dried out, so you might have to take the cooked parts out while you wait for the middle to dry.
7. Serve with yogurt, honey, and more banana! Or...eat handfuls...

A few notes:
The recipe did seem a bit sweet for my taste, so the recipe above is adjusted to have a slightly reduced quantity of sugar/honey.
I also love to include puffed rice in granola (I found it at whole foods, though I'm sure it's available elesewhere too--or try rice krispies!) since it lightens the mixture. Next time, I'd probably add some more, or change the ratio with oats, so use as much or as little as you would like!

Adapted from Minimalist Baker