Banana Bread Granola |Cooking With Amanda

Banana bread granola combines all the best flavors of a warm slice of comforting banana bread in a healthy, tasty cereal. This granola has become a fast favorite among the kids!

Banana bread granola makes for a quick, healthy breakfast with milk on school day mornings. We also enjoy it as a snack over yogurt and even as a yummy dessert as an ice cream topping. This granola over a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream? Oh yes, it is something that you really must try. It's one of my kids' most favorite treats.

When I was a kid, I had no idea how delicious a warm slice of banana bread could be and banana bread granola had never even crossed my mind. My mom always despised overripe bananas and anything made with them, so banana bread was off the menu.

I didn't discover the joy of ripe bananas and the tender, sweet bread they can turn into until I was in college. My sister, somehow or other, discovered a chocolate chip banana bread recipe that turned our world upside down. I had no idea what I'd been missing! We probably made banana bread twice a week for months after we discovered it.

Now, ripe bananas factor into a lot of my cooking. We freeze them for smoothies, we turn them into muffins and breads, I've even used them to sweeten my favorite pumpkin soup. I didn't learn it from my mother, but I'm glad I figured out on my own just how delicious bananas can be.

This banana bread granola is the product of my growing love for all things banana. It's a crunchy, chunky granola with banana chips and some overripe mashed banana in the mix just for its trademark sweet banana flavor. It's good as is. It is also good with some fresh, sliced bananas stirred in when you're ready to eat. Enjoy!

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Banana Bread Granola Recipe

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Ingredients

5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup coconut oil, or vegetable oil, room temperature
2 cups dried bananas, sweetened or unsweetened

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine nuts and oats and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except dried bananas. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
Pour liquid mixture over oats and stir well, making sure oat mixture is evenly coated.
Pour mixture onto parchment lined baking sheet. Using a spatula, press granola into the pan. Make sure granola is pressed tightly and evenly into the baking sheet.
Bake at 325°F for approximately 40 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Rotate pan halfway through baking time.
For chunky granola, do not stir. Cool well on a wire baking rack.
When cooled, break into chunks as desired and add 2 cups dried bananas.
Store in airtight container for up to a week. Makes approximately 10 cups.