Elvis Style Granola

I love granola.  It's one of my favorite snacks.  Whether it's on top of yogurt, served with milk, or plain I love to snack on it.  A friend of mine a few months ago made some homemade granola and just raved about it.  She said everyone should be making it on their own because (1) it was incredibly easy to make and (2) it is super cheap.  Cheap and easy, huh?  Two of my favorite things so I knew I had to give it a try.  The recipe she used actually used fruit to flavor the granola.  She used pumpkin to make a pumpkin pie spice flavored granola.  While this sounded delicious I thought I would try to make mine like my favorite Bear Naked Banana Nut.

So I tweaked her recipe just a bit and came up with this delicious granola.  The made the house smell absolutely fantastic while it baked.  When it was out of the oven Nick and I each tasted a little to see what we thought... about two bowls (each) later we decided this recipe was definitely a keeper.  As long as it's stored in an air-tight container this stuff will last for almost a month without going stale.  Ours definitely didn't make it quite that long... maybe next time I'll double the recipe.

If you're not a banana or peanut butter fan you can definitely substitute those with a fruit you do like.  Maybe applesauce and apple pie spices or cherries and almond paste.  You really can use about anything you like to flavor this base recipe so go ahead and experiment.  If you make something great leave a comment and I'll make it too - I can never have too much granola around the house! :)

Peanut Butter Banana Granola

Ingredients
1 very ripe medium banana, mashed (about 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
2 T. canola oil
1 t. vanilla extract

4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup puffed rice cereal (I used Cocoa Krispies)
3/4 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1/4 t. cardamom (optional)

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2) Combine banana, peanut butter, honey, canola oil, and vanilla extract in a small bowl.  If your mixture is still a little chunky from the banana toss it in the food processor or blender until it is smooth.

3) In a large mixing bowl combine remaining ingredients and toss until well combined.

4) Pour the peanut butter banana mixture on top of the dry ingredients and mix well until the dry mixture is evenly coated.

5) Divide mixture onto 2 rimmed 9x13 baking sheets and bake for 45 minutes.  Stirring it every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Adapted from The Tiny Chef at Tiny Chef Eats recipe for Pumpkin Granola.

Looking for more breakfast options?  Check out these recipes:

Homemade Waffles

Bacon Cheddar Date Scones

Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread