Banana Walnut Granola

I’ve made a few variations of this USA Weekend granola recipe ever since discovering it, and this is my most recent favorite.  It’s perfect with cold milk and fresh blueberries.  You might read through the ingredients and think, “One tablespoon of vanilla? Is that a typo?”  but trust me:  an absurd-seeming amount of vanilla extract is the secret to awesome homemade granola.  The imitation stuff is probably fine, and if you’re a Costco member they carry large inexpensive bottles of real vanilla extract.

Banana Walnut Granola

Adapted from USA Weekend

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped banana chips
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbs. canola or other flavorless oil
1 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees, and spray a 9×13 metal baking pan with cooking spray.  Mix the oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, salt, coconut, walnuts and banana chips in a bowl.  Combine the maple syrup, oil, water, vanilla extract and cinnamon in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until simmering.

Drizzle the hot liquid over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Spread the mixture onto the baking pan, and squeeze it to form small clumps.  The wheat germ mixed with the hot liquid forms a kind of mortar and helps make those great crunchy clusters that are otherwise hard to get with homemade granola.

Bake at 275 for 35-40 minutes until light golden brown, stirring once or twice.  The granola may not be as crispy as you would want it right away, but it will get crispier as it cools.  Let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.