Homemade Banana Macadamia Nut Granola

I love granola! I love that you can make it with huge clusters, small clusters, fresh fruit, dry fruit, seeds, nuts, purees, and anything else you like to eat in the morning. I love that you can prepare it up to 2 weeks in advance and not have to make breakfast again that week. I love that you can change the way you prepare it when you get bored, from parfaits with yogurt or ice cream. I usually eat it like a bowl of cereal with nut milk (check this out for how-to make it at home!) or take the largest granola clusters for a snack. This recipe is perfect for any busy family that has to take a meal on the go.

Granola will keep you full for hours because of it’s high protein and fiber content from the oats.

Oat Nutrients:

Manganese – bone formation, collagen production, blood sugar control

Molybdenum – helps the body breakdown amino acids

Phosphorus – kidney function, healthy nervous system

Copper – collagen production, necessary for iron absorption

Vitamin B – healthy hair, skin and nails, blood sugar control

Magnesium – helps reduce migraines, blood sugar control, bone metabolism

Zinc – healthy immune system, reduces acne, healthy eyes and tastebuds

Chromium – blood sugar control, healthy metabolism, healthy brain function. Fun fact: your body can’t make chromium. You have to consume it.

Once you add your toppings, you add even more nutrition! This is one recipe to play around with in order to find your perfect granola.

Before this recipe, my husband didn’t like granola. So, how do you find your perfect balance of flavor and texture that meets all this? I made a list with all the things my husband likes and doesn’t like.

“Do you want almonds? dried blueberries? coconut flakes?”

“No. No.” (pause for scoff) “No.”

We concluded that he likes macadamia nuts, peanuts and bananas. Which makes this recipe super easy since it all goes in the oven together! This isn’t always true. For example, nuts need toasting, so they go in at the beginning. Dried fruit is already dried, so it doesn’t get put in the granola until the cooking is done. This granola is super easy, totally flavorful, and a great recipe to serve for company. After all, who doesn’t like bananas? Add the macadamia nuts and you have one classy, crunchy, and delicious granola.

This recipe is so good that my husband stopped buying cereal! He eats this almost every day. If not for breakfast, it makes a great snack!

Homemade Banana Macadamia Nut Granola

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

3 cups oats
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch cardamon
pinch clove
2 tbsp oat flour (pureed oats)
1/2 tsp ground chia seeds (or flax)

Wet Ingredients:

2 mashed bananas
3 dates
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/3 maple syrup
2 tbsp coconut sugar
1/3 cup ground peanuts (I usually add a little olive oil to make smooth when I puree them)

For drizzle:

1-2 tbsp brown rice syrup

Notes

add cacao nibs on the last 15 minutes of baking if you want to add chocolate to your granola

Ingredients

1. Blend peanuts until you have 1/3 cup of ground peanuts (about 3/4 cup peanuts). Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 300° F

3. Mix all of the dry ingredients. Set aside

4. Mix and stir all of the wet ingredients in a saucepan on low heat until thoroughly mixed. About 1 minute. Add the peanuts to the mixture.

5. Combine the dry and wet ingredients together

6. Spread out the granola on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

7. Take out of oven, stir, drizzle the tbsp of brown rice syrup, and bake for another 15 minutes. Make sure you do a thin line in the drizzles since it tends to make the granola more chewy if you use too much brown rice syrup.

8. Repeat stirring, bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown.

9. Let the granola cool before breaking it up for more chunky clusters.