We're all in the market for another overripe banana use! Earlier in the week, I found myself with a few of the browning fruits, and after I baked off some mini loaves of our favorite Banana Graham Bread, I opted to mash up the last half of banana into a granola batch and it was simply delicious. The smell emanating from the oven as the granola bakes becomes more and more like banana bread as it crisps up, but your end result is something totally different. Adding fruit or vegetable puree (try MB's with pumpkin puree, too!) to granola mix is a revelation. You can cut just very slightly your oil/sweetener ratio, tailor your flavor based on what you have and learn a few things about how wet and dry ingredients interact. Here's the thing though: when adding the banana puree, you want to take out your measuring cup or scale and dole out the proper amount. If you just throw in a jumbo brown banana and don't measure, it will throw off the ratios. You want this granola to crisp up enough, and it does when all the ingredients work in tandem. This crunchy vegan/gluten free addition to your morning is sure to satisfy when you've had your fill of banana bread. I spiked it with ground ginger but you can use another spice like cinnamon if you prefer. Try it spooned on yogurt or soak it with almond milk!
Banana ginger granola
~makes a nice sized carafe
Notes: I made a few changes to MBs recipe, swapping in whole almonds, pepitas and sunflower seeds for pecans, chia seeds for flax and ginger for cinnamon. I also decreased the liquid ingredients and sugar a smidge. I always bake this off longer than the original recipe recommends, but not as long as my standard granolas, turning down the temperature just a notch toward the end, as I like to get it nicely browned and dry enough. It will crisp up even more as it cools, but the mix should not be wet when you take it out. Bon appetite!
1.5 cups/150 grams GF old fashioned rolled oats
Scant 3/4 cups mixed raw nuts and seeds (whole almonds, pepitas, sunflower seeds)
1.5 tsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp natural granulated sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp ground ginger
Scant 2 Tbsp (24 grams) virgin coconut oil
Scant 3 Tbsp (50 grams) real maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup/55 grams mashed very ripe banana (half a medium)
Heat the oven to 350. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Mix oats, nuts, seeds, sugar, salt, ginger in a large bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over low heat warm coconut oil until just about melted and stir in maple, vanilla and banana puree. Whisk very well. Pour mixture over oat mix, stirring aggressively to get everything well coated. Turn out mix onto sheet pan spreading evenly.
Bake 20 minutes. At this point, take the granola out and carefully flip over the chunks, stir a little, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Stir clumps slightly again.
At this point if it's toasty to your liking, remove to a cooling rack. However, for optimal crispness, lower heat to 325 and return tray to oven for another 10-20 minutes, checking frequently, making your total bake time more like 40-50 mins. Cool COMPLETELY, 1-2 hrs, before storing.
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V-day is coming up and I have cookie recommendations! Casual cookies not fancy piped desserts, are the name of the game this year. Need ideas?
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From the web:
Dorie's world peace cookies. Enough said. Make them. (I'm weird and like them baked for 14 min instead of the recommended 12)
Merrill's crispy oatmeal cookies. I was asked if they contained coconut. They don't. They are just incredibly toasty, buttery and crisp.
From the Salvegging archive:
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