Banana bread granola

(read in Italian)

What I really love about this banana bread granola is not just that’s easy to make and it requires ingredients that are available in my pantry most of the time… the best part of it are the giant clusters. And this is also the main reason why it disappears so quickly every time I make it! With a good balance of nutrients and its big clusters, this granola is a great choice for breakfast or as a snack on the go to pack into reusable containers.

Overall, these are the main key points that will make you want to prepare this granola straight away:

• ADAPTABILITY: you can easily change the ratio between the ingredients (for example, I love using extra nuts in this recipe), swap pecans for something else or mix 2 different kinds of nuts, and adapt the size of the clusters to your preferences (I usually go for bigger pieces if I plan to use it as a snack and for the smaller ones if I want to use it for breakfast)
• SIMPLICITY: you only need 5 pretty basic ingredients to make it (oats, bananas, pecans, dark chocolate, extra virgin olive oil) and a couple of spices
• QUICK TO MAKE: it really doesn’t get easier than this! It will only take you a couple of minutes to blend and mix the ingredients. If my orange flavored granola sounded already pretty much straightforward to you, get ready to be impressed by this one!

On the other hand, the baking step for this granola requires a bit more attention compared to similar recipes and its shelf life is not too long (that’s why I recommend you to make this granola in small batch – I would keep it only for a couple of days in the pantry and for up to 4 if stored in the fridge).

BANANA BREAD GRANOLA

Ingredients:

• 180 g rolled oats (choose the gluten-free option if needed)
• 2 medium-sized bananas
• 100-120 g pecans
• 40 g dark chocolate (70% or higher)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• a pinch of salt

Place the bananas in the blender and get a smooth paste, then add the oats, and 1/3 of the pecans: blend everything together according to your preferences (you can either make a creamy mix or one with the things more roughly chopped). Place the mix in a bowl and add the remaining pecans (broken into smaller pieces with your hands), the spices, and the oil: combine well all the ingredients. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for approx. 20-25 minutes: to start, spread the granola on a baking tray (use some parchment paper or a reusable non-stick baking mat) and make an even layer. After a few minutes, remove the tray from the oven and start breaking the granola into pieces using a spoon: repeat this step a few times while you bake it, this allows you to properly cook all the ingredients and to get those golden crunchy clusters (and you can adjust their size). It can be useful to cook the granola for a few minutes with the door of the oven slightly open (most of the ovens allow you to do so).

Wait until the granola is cold, then mix it with the finely chopped dark chocolate. Store in an air-tight container.

If you try this recipe don’t forget to take a photo and tag me on Instagram: I’d love to see your creations! And if this post was useful, share it with your friends using the buttons below