Banana Peanut Butter Granola

I've been accused by some as being a breakfast Nazi...and that's fine. I suppose if you've going to accused of being a Nazi, it might as well be the breakfast kind. I do feel pretty strongly about breakfast. Not only is it an important meal, it's my favorite! There is nothing better than breakfast food. A meal that includes pancakes, bacon, biscuits and gravy, waffles, sausage, yogurt parfaits, hash browns, cereal, French toast and I could go on. But you get the gist of it...there's a lot of awesome food options at breakfast!

I happen to teach fairly early in the morning so I don't always have the time (nor do my jeans have the spare room) to have a huge breakfast every morning. Usually I just stick to cereal, a muffin, or a yogurt parfait. Recently, I've been testing out various homemade granola recipes. Most of them have been pretty mediocre. But, this one? This one is glorious! Definitely give this a try. It's so good with vanilla yogurt and fruit or with milk or by itself by the handful when you get a late night craving. :) Enjoy!

Banana Peanut Butter Granola
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal
2 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup applesauce
1/3 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup cream peanut butter, warmed slightly
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups dried banana chips
1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts
3-4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat the over to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats and puffed rice cereal. In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, applesauce, mashed banana, peanut butter, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until oat mixture is evenly coated. Spread onto prepared baking sheet in a thick even layer.
3. Bake for 30 minutes. Then, using a large spatula, turn the granola over in segments. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Check to see if center is fully dried. If not, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, being careful not to over-bake. Cool on a wire rack.
4. Once cooled, crumble into a large bowl or plastic bag. Add in the dried banana chips, honey roasted peanuts and chocolate chips. Mix well to combine. Store in airtight container.

Source: Annie's Eats