Tag Archives: bananas

Banana Bread Granola

Banana Bread Granola @ NancyC I was needing to make some granola and I had also been thinking about making banana bread, so instead I made Banana Bread Granola. It was also handy that I had a bag of dried banana chips too, since those make a perfect add-in for this recipe! Just so you know, it’s very lightly sweet (unlike the granola you buy at the store, which is too sweet for me). But you can make this Banana Bread Granola a little sweeter by adding some packed brown sugar, which I’ve noted in the recipe below. If you’re serving it with milk or yogurt for breakfast, you can also drizzle some honey on it, which tastes really good!

BANANA BREAD GRANOLA by NancyC

Makes about 7 1/2 cups

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Optional: 2 Tablespoons flaxseed or wheat germ

3/4 cup raw sunflower kernels

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (or use a little of both)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 teaspoon salt

Optional: 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (if you want your granola sweeter)

1/4 cup light olive oil or canola oil

2/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium bananas or 1 medium) and 1 small)

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped banana chips (add these after the granola is done baking)

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line a large 13 x 18″ rimmed baking sheet or two 10 x 15″ rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In large bowl, mix the oats, flaxseed or wheat germ (if using), sunflower kernels, chopped nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together until combined (also add the brown sugar, if using); set aside.

In medium bowl, mix the oil, honey, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas until well-blended. Pour over the oat mixture in large bowl; mix until everything is moistened and evenly coated.

Spread mixture evenly onto lined baking sheet and bake at 325˚F for 45 minutes total, stirring the granola every 15 minutes so mixture bakes evenly.

Remove from oven and let granola cool on baking sheet(s) for about 20 minutes (the granola will get crunchier as it cools). Transfer granola into a large bowl and stir in the banana chips.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Serve with yogurt, milk, or eat it plain as a healthy snack!

Since I started making homemade granola about 5 years ago, I rarely buy store-bought! It’s so easy to make your own, and it’s fun making it with different add-ins! Are you a granola-maker too?

Linked to Fiesta Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Weekend Potluck, Inspire Me Monday, Show and Share, Full Plate Thursday, Create It Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things.

Banana-Zucchini Bread

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If you were to guess what Banana-Zucchini Bread would be like, you’d probably say it would be moist, because it has both zucchini and bananas in it, after all. And you would be right–about this recipe, anyway. It has the perfect moist texture—not overly moist, but just right.

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Blueberry Oat Banana Bread

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When blueberry season comes around, I love baking with those fresh berries! So I thought I’d try combining blueberries and bananas in a bread, and I also decided to add a little oatmeal–I thought oatmeal would give it a nice texture and make a nice quick bread for breakfast.

This bread is so moist and packed with blueberries! It’s sweet, but not overly sweet–and the ripe bananas add just the right amount of sweetness and moistness to the bread. I actually didn’t taste my loaf until the day after I baked it, and it was wonderful the day after! I’m not sure what it tastes like while still warm, but I’m guessing it’s pretty good. The flavor of the bread is so good you really don’t need to put anything on it–but you can always add a little dab of butter on a warm slice, or lightly spread some cream cheese on a cooled slice if you want.

BLUEBERRY OAT BANANA BREAD by NancyC

Makes one 8 x 4″ loaf

1 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons light olive oil

2 Tablespoons milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup ripe mashed bananas (2 to 3 bananas, depending on size)

1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour an 8 x 4″ loaf pan.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In medium bowl, blend olive oil, milk, and egg, blending well, then add vanilla and mashed bananas, blending everything well. Add this mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Fold in the blueberries.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350˚F for 50 to 52 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Fresh blueberries are the best! What types of treats do you like to make with them?

Blueberry Banana Muffins

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Just before I went on vacation recently, I somehow ended up with a LOT of ripe bananas. So I could either freeze them or bake something with them. I decided to do both. I froze some to use in smoothies later and also used some in these muffins!

As you can imagine, these Blueberry Banana Muffins are so good and moist, with both the bananas and blueberries, and the flavors together are great! And the batter has a rich buttery taste. It’s a great recipe for fresh blueberries…and those ripe bananas that always seem to be around! 🙂

BLUEBERRY BANANA MUFFINS adapted from Allrecipes

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh blueberries (if you substitute frozen blueberries, fold them in the batter at the end, after everything else is mixed together; your baking time may be slightly longer, too)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup mashed, very ripe bananas (2 to 3 bananas, depending on size)

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add in the blueberries, gently tossing them to coat them with flour; set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in vanilla and mashed bananas.

Add flour/blueberry mixture to butter/sugar/egg mixture and stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into lined muffin cups, dividing batter evenly among the cups (your muffin cups will be almost full).

Bake for 21 to 24 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and serve warm or cool completely on a wire rack. Note: I think these taste best warm (after cooling for about 10 minutes).

Even though these muffins do brown quite a bit on top, they are not dry; they’re very soft and moist on the inside. And the browned muffin tops are also slightly crusty if you eat them warm, which I really liked! I took some of these along with me on my road trip vacation to visit family! Are you planning any road trips this summer?

I’m linking this to Fiesta Friday and Inspire Me Monday.