with Banana, Sunflower Butter & Chocolate
A great way to use and enjoy to the fullest overripe bananas is to make these granola bars- completely healthy and super easy to make. This recipe is a great combo of healthy fats from sunflower seeds, with just enough sweetness to satisfy your cravings. In short, this is the perfect snack to carry around.
Serves 20 bars
3 + 1/2 cups rolled oat
1 brown rice cake, crumble or 1/2 cup brown rice crisp cereal
1/3 cup dark chocolate 70%, chopped
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil
2/4 cup honey (can be replaced with brown rice syrup or maple syrup)
2 bananas, ripe or overripe
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp banana extract (can be replaced with vanilla extract)
1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C).
2. Line with parchment paper a sheet pan.
3. Roast in the oven sunflower seeds for 6 minutes.
4. Remove roasted sunflower seeds from the sheet pan immediately and place them into a blender container to cool.
5. Add peeled bananas into a baking dish, and smash them. Add honey, and combine well.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until the banana mixture is simmering. The oven method helps removing the excess of moisture while having a better control of the heat compared to the saucepan method.
7. Combine rolled oat, crumble brown rice cake and chopped dark chocolate into a large mixing bowl, then set aside. You should have four and half cups of the dry mix.
8. Blend roasted sunflower seeds until the mixture turns into a moist and compact powder. Should take 5-10 minutes. Be patient, scrape with a spatula every time the sunflower mixture sticks to the blender sides. Last step, add a tablespoon of coconut oil and blend well to form a smooth butter.
9. Add cooked banana mixture, lemon juice, salt and banana extract to the sunflower butter, and blend until smooth. You should have a cup and half of a wet mixture.
10. Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and stir well to combine. Make sure the oat is well coated.
11. Line a large baking dish with parchment paper and brush coconut oil all over the paper surface.
12. Add granola mixture over and spread in an even layer. Press as much as you can, first with a spatula, then with the help of a cup.
13. Bake for 25 minutes at 350F (175C).
14. Turn off the oven, let the door slightly open the time to pre-cut bars.
15. Return granola bars to the turned off oven, and leave it inside for another 15 minutes.
16. Remove granola bars from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes before placing it in the freezer to completely set for an hour.
17. Store in an airtight container or store in the freezer until the night before needing them.
Cheers Xx
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