Easy Homemade Banana Bread Granola

 

Hello, my darlings! Welcome back to my homemade everything series. I swear I've made everything from Homemade cottage cheese to homemade veggie dogs. Those who have been on this journey with me for the past 15 years of blogging saw a ton of the homemade stuff when I started. Back then, I was a full-time stay-at-home mom with two small children. They are both fully grown adults, and I am happy that we often still make homemade Breakfast cereal.
 My two sons are now full-time missionaries (for missionary and college student cooking; see The Missionary Cookbook posts). It has been one of my favorite experiences in my life having this happen! 

Back to breakfast cereal. It's a food group among college kids...well, any kids. My guys will eat a couple batches a month. I like mixing it with cornflakes or bran flakes for added staying power.

If you’ve been paying attention to baking trends, you might have noticed the advent in popularity of the spice blend known as Speculaas. Speculaas Spice Mix is often used in the Netherlands and Dutch cuisine during Autumn and Winter. Holiday baking and cold weather bring a full spectrum of delicious recipes calling for Speculaas spice blend. Though most often associated with the Netherlands, it is also a blend of spices used throughout Europe, though known by other names in different countries. In Germany and Austria it’s called Spekulatius, and in Belgium and France, it’s called Speculoos. It is similar to the American Pumpkin Pie Spice mix but is a lot more complex in flavor. Generally, all Speculaas include cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, aniseed, white pepper, and coriander. Next to that, people add ginger, cardamom, and sometimes mace. I have included the recipe for speculaas below, in case you'd like to try to make it from scratch. 

In its origin, Speculoos spiced baked goods in the shapes of animals were offered to the gods as a supplication for good harvests. As Christianity rose in popularity, the cookies and baked goods took on the shape of beloved patron saints like the bishop of Myra AKA Saint Nicholas. This tradition continues even in our age as Speculaas spiced goods are still served on Saint Nicholas Day. Traditionally, every baker had their own unique blend of Speculaas. At one point, there was even a custom of giving a male or female-shaped baked good to a suitor or lover as a token of your affection. We love it in our baked goods no matter what they are intended to represent, as long as they are delicious!

This whole-grain granola is just such a treat. Adding this complex spice gives it a unique and divine flavor, and will surely become one of your favorites.

Banana Bread Speculaas Granola

Ingredients

¼ cup Coconut Oil or olive oil
½ cup Coconut Sugar or Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Vanilla, pure extract
2 Medium ripe Bananas, mashed
4 cups  Rolled Oats
¾ cup Whole Almonds, raw, chopped
¼ cup Teff, Chia Seeds, or Flax seeds
1 Tbsp. Dutch Speculaas spice or Cinnamon
½ tsp salt

Directions:

• • Wash and sanitize all work surfaces and tools.

• • Preheat the oven to 325°F.

• • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

• • Combine coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, and mashed bananas in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.

• • Bake the granola by dividing it between the two baking sheets. Bake for 35 minutes, stirring halfway through baking. Remove from oven and cool completely. Yield 20 1/4 cup servings.

Estimated Nutritional Information: 144 cal, 7 g fat, 18 carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Speculaas Spice blend

3 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. white pepper
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cardamom

Directions: Combine all the spices well. Transfer to an airtight spice jar. Yield approx 1/4 cup.
There you go, darlings! Make some homemade granola!

Always My Very Best,
Chef Tess

Home-Spun Breakfast Cereal

Made at home? Can It Be Done? Oh dear! Yes!! Cold Cereal is a big one for most budgets. What do you pay for a box of this stuff? If your family is anything like mine, breakfast cereal is a main food group. There are a ton of choices out there. Walking down the cereal aisle can be scary! Some cereals are loaded with sugar and not a speck of whole grain. Hopefully this I can help your budget and your nutrition levels. I'll even tell you how to bake this in a solar oven. How fun is that?
Whatever your reason for making your own cereal--be it family nutrition, budget, or both... here are two great recipes! One is for granola and one is for grape-nuts.
First in line is granola. My husband ate so much granola the last time I made it, that he asked me to never make it again. He had no self control and couldn't be held responsible for his consumption levels. I happen to love granola. I still make it. He still nags me. What is a girl to do? I used to giggle about moms who made homemade granola. It just seemed so "hippie-like". Strap on your wood clogs and whip out your long braided hair. Peace. Love. Nature. Low and behold, I have become what I beheld...one of" those granola moms". Do you see my eyes rolling right now? It's not sooo bad. In fact, I am starting to think that it is one of life's lost arts. Try it sometime!

My granola recipe1 cup cold pressed oil (canola,coconut or grape seed are great!)--regular oil or melted butter work--peanut butter isn't too shabby either.
1 cup honey
2T double strength vanilla (I do go heavy on vanilla)
2 cups whole wheat cake or pastry flour (white all purpose works)
2 tsp salt
2T Cinnamon
10 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped nuts, optional (we don't want too much fat, right?--Ahh. I do love a good almond or hazelnut.)
2 cups dried fruit (raisins, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, cranberries... whatever you love!)
Directions: In a batter bowl, combine the oil, honey, and vanilla. In a separate 8 quart mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, except the dried fruit. Divide granola between two stoneware bar pans, or two large cookie sheets, Bake at 325 degrees 15 minutes. Stir and cook 10 more minutes until golden brown and crispy. Add dried fruit. Store in an airtight container once cooled. Enjoy! This recipe yields 15 cups ( 4lb 8oz)--30 servings!
Cook's notes: If you use peanut butter, you may need to mix this with your hands or a good big electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Oil seems to mix better. The original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups butter and 2 cups brown sugar. Splenda can be used, but cereal will be not hold together like granola.
Like" Honey Bunches of Oats"?--Mix this granola with 2 large boxes of whole grain corn flakes or frosted flakes! Corn flakes are one of the cheapest breakfast cereals out there! Add to that this inexpensive and healthy granola, and it makes cereal go a long way!--Usually 4 gallon size bags!
Grape nuts are next in line. I've made these for a long time and love the fact that they are almost free! Especially since I make my own bread. Yes. Bread. That is the only ingredient! These require the use of a meat grinder (mine has actually never been used on meat... how weird!) Most often we use it for sprouted wheat bread or grape nuts. I don't sell meat grinders. They can be purchased at most Wal-mart stores near the home canning supplies or in specialty Spanish food markets. I've even seen them as an attachment to some electric mixers. I have the hand grinder because I want to feel like a circus monkey is banging a drum in my kitchen. Um... Or something to do with not using electricity all the time... Hopefully you will enjoy these as much as we do! You can either use whole wheat bread that you may have goofed and it is now really heavy (instead of a paperweight), or it can also be made with regular whole wheat bread. Whatever you have. My whole wheat bread recipe can be obtained in the blog entry "Are you Afraid of germs."

Mom's "Grape Nut" Squiggles 1-2 loaves whole wheat bread
Directions: Grind through a meat grinder. It comes out in long squiggles. Place on a stoneware bar pan or deep heavy sheet pan . It usually takes one pan for each loaf of bread used. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and dry. I break them up a bit with a metal spatula! Serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner with milk or soy milk and sugar or honey. MMM. Yes. It is that simple!
Solar Cereal notes: To bake in a solar oven, make sure you have a dark medium bar pan, divide cereal in half and bake one at a time in the sun oven with the glass top unclasped. This will allow cereals to dry and get crispy golden. Once oven temperature gets to 325, put in cereal and bake the same amount of time!
Global Sun Ovens - http://www.sunoven.com
Did you know that homemade bread is the best air freshener out there?
Who doesn't just fill with joy and happiness at the smell of homemade bread?!
Here's my 2-Cents. Bread is worth learning how to make!
Not only is it cheaper and more nutritious, it's more fun!