Banana Nut Granola

Saga of over ripe Bananas

Some people just toss it in the trash can.
Some people freeze it for later use in smoothies or milk shakes.
Some people bake banana bread or muffin using them.
Some people bake banana cake using them.
Very few people can think of making granola with them and I am one of those. Idea came because of my previous experience with Pumpkin Granola. It was delicious and I probably will make this kind of granola more often than others.

One Year Back - Brownie Biscotti
Two Years Back -  Poppy seed drink / Gasagase Payasa
Three Years Back -  Craisins and White chocolate chip biscotti 
Ingredients: 
Rolled Oats - 6 cups
Brown Sugar - 1 cup packed
Canola Oil - 1/4 cup
Mashed banana - 1/2 - 3/4 cup (From 2 large bananas)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 tsp
Raisins - 1 - 1 1/2 cups (Or your favorite dried fruits like dried cranberries or chopped dates)
Walnuts - 1 cup chopped

Method:
Preheat the oven to 300 F.  Line two large baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Set aside. In a bowl, take rolled oats and chopped walnuts. Toss gently. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, canola oil, mashed banana, salt and cinnamon. Heat stirring occasionally till brown sugar melts a bit and combines with the rest of the ingredients in the pan. It doesn't have to boil. Pour this on to the Oat and walnut mixture and stir to combine. There will be a  lot of lumps, leave them as is or break them into smaller lumps. Spread on the two baking sheets and bake for 45 - 55 minutes  stirring once midway and rotating the baking sheets. If you have spread it thin enough, it should be ready in 45 minutes. If you have too many big lumps, it will take up to an hour. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. I would suggest you to break the lumps into smaller ones since it will add texture uniformly through out the cereal. Add raisins and mix. Once cooled completely, store in an air tight container. This should be good for two weeks if not eaten by then. I prefer to eat this with warm milk instead of cold milk.

Notes:
You could add vanilla instead of cinnamon and add a cup of chocolate chips instead of raisins for a different taste. Add chocolate chips once the granola has cooled.

Enjoy.

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