Banana Peanut Butter Granola

I have made this granola (courtesy of Annie's Eats) a few times, but this is the first time that it has lasted long enough for me to photograph it!

I used to eat a yogurt for breakfast every morning. Then, early on in my pregnancy with Ryan, I had such an aversion to it. I don't know if it was the texture or what, but it would make me gag. Long after Ryan was here, I still couldn't bring myself to eat yogurt.

About 3 weeks ago, I grabbed one of Ryan's yogurts when I made the first batch of this granola. I took this breakfast to work, and it was unreal. I'm not only psyched to eat yogurt again, but doubly thrilled to have found this delicious accompaniment.

I love that it's so versatile; each time I make it, I throw different things in there. This time, as you can see, I added some mini-M&Ms, which made my vanilla yogurt full of colorful swirls!


Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal (I don't know if this is the same as Rice Krispies, but that's what I've used!)
  
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1/3 cup applesauce (I have used a single-serving cup of cinnamon applesauce - yum!)
  
• 1/3 cup mashed bananas
• 1/3-1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, warmed slightly (I have been using Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter)
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1-1 1/2 cups dried banana chips (I've omitted)
• 1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts
• 3-4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

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 the oat mixture is evenly coated. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet in a thick even layer.

Bake for 30 minutes. Then, using a large spatula, turn the granola over in segments. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Depending on the size of your baking sheet, the center may not be fully dried. If necessary, remove the edges of cooked granola and bake the remaining granola for 10-15 minutes more or until done, being careful not to over-bake. Cool on a wire rack.

Once the granola has cooled, crumble it into a large bowl or plastic bag. Add in the dried banana chips, honey roasted peanuts and bittersweet chocolate, if using. Mix well to combine. Store in an airtight container.