I've been making granola for a long time now, ever since I realized that the exact combination I wanted didn't exist in a store-bought bag. Granola is a perfect example of all those great things about home cooking: no preservatives, much more economical, customizable to just what you love, and on and on. Make a huge batch and you have breakfast for days and days. I love granola with big clumps, which can be hard to achieve without a lot of oils or sweeteners. You can cheat and use these tricks to get a clumpy texture: add applesauce, or egg whites. This recipe is rather brilliant in that it relies on mashed bananas and the use of a stand mixer to form clumps, and it works wonders.
I have a general "blank canvas" granola recipe that I use and dress up with whatever is seasonal or in my kitchen. I also have a millet muesli recipe that I am fully and completely in love with (more on that later). So I don't look for new granola recipes often, but this banana bread hemp granola recipe caught my eye over at Happy Yolks, so I trotted it out with a few variations. It won't be an everyday breakfast routine, but it is very, very good and much more unusual in flavor than your standard breakfast cereal.
Banana Bread Flax Granola
Adapted from Happy Yolks
4 cups old-fashioned oats
2 very ripe bananas (frozen and thawed work)
3/4 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup maple syrup*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of cardamom
generous pinch of sea salt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix until well combined and thick, and then add the oats. Mix on medium-low speed for about 3 minutes, then add in the cinnamon, cardamom, salt and flax seeds and mix until combined. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake it for about 25 to 30 minutes. After about 15 minutes, check the granola and stir it around gently with a spoon so it browns evenly but don't break up the clumps too much. Let it cool before breaking it up with your hands in large clumps.
