The problem with making banana bread is that I eat banana bread. I’m not talking about just having a slice… One slice turns into one HALF and then Casey takes the other and we have demolished a whole loaf in less than 12 hours. If I put nuts in the bread, Cooper won’t eat it…so sometimes I put nuts in the bread because I’m greedy and don’t want to share with my picky eater son. LEARN TO LIKE NUTS, is all I’m saying… That’s the story of my banana bread life.
I had two bananas sitting on the counter giving me the stare down last week. Do I feel like eating half a loaf of banana bread? Do I feel like putting nuts in it? Decisions decisions…A quick glance into the cereal section of our kitchen cabinet and a practically empty jar of killer granola said… ME! ME!! REFILL ME!
Problem solved. Banana Walnut Granola it is. Now I don’t have to eat half a loaf of banana bread…
Bananas get mixed in the wet mixture of this granola base. The toasted walnuts and cashews with that sweet banana cinnamon hint will have you thinking you’ve baked a banana bread. The crazy part is that my kid LOVED this granola…nuts and all. And after I gave him one of these banana yogurt granola parfaits he asked, “Mommy, can you make me one of those banana BARFAITS for dessert tomorrow night?” My picky eater son is just plain ridiculous.
And we’re off!
Is it just me or does that cinnamon look like an upside down comma? Cool. I’m glad we agree.
First we dump all of our dry ingredients into a gigantic bowl. We need room!
Mix it about so the spices & sugar get situated throughout.
Now we mash our bananas.
We mix the bananas with olive oil and maple syrup. Wet ingredients!
And then we stir it all up.
Put the granola on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake. We’re gonna stir it at intervals.
Then you have GOLDEN GRANOLA.
Let it cool and then add it to a large jar.
There’s nothing better than a jar full of granola on your kitchen counter. It’s a blessing, really.
Top it with yogurt & honey and you have yourself a parfait…but if you’re Cooper, Barfait.
Banana Walnut Granola
makes about 7 cups granola
- 5 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 cup brown sugar
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, toss oats, walnuts, cashews, cinnamon and brown sugar together and set aside. In a small bowl mash bananas and stir in maple syrup & olive oil until thoroughly mixed. Pour wet mixture over the oat-nut mixture and stir until oats are well saturated. Spread the oats on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes, stirring mixture every 10 minutes until oats are nice & golden. Let granola cool and transfer to an airtight container.
