Crunchy Banana Nut Granola

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon water
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup chopped raw walnuts
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium ripe bananas, diced

Directions

1. Set your oven to 275F, with 2 racks split between the top half and bottom half, and cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the butter into small pats. Melt it in a small saucepan over medium heat; once it liquefies, it will foam a bit, then deepen to amber and smell wonderfully nutty. Keep close watch, because browned butter can tip into burned butter fast, and the whole process should take about 3 minutes. As soon as it is ready, take the pan off the heat and pour the butter into a small heatproof bowl.
2. For the brown sugar mixture, put the brown sugar, vanilla, and water into the same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until the mixture comes together, then keep cooking until the brown sugar is fully melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Take it off the heat.
3. In a large bowl, toss the oats, walnuts, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt until everything is evenly scattered. Pour in the brown butter and the brown sugar mixture, then stir until combined. Add the diced bananas and fold them in very gently.
4. Divide the granola between 2 baking sheets and smooth it out evenly. Put the pans in the warm oven and let the granola bake for 45 minutes. At the halfway point, stir the granola, move the baking sheets from top to bottom and bottom to top, and turn the pans so any hot spots do not get their way. If you want big granola clusters, skip the stirring.
5. When baking is done, pull the pans out and let the granola cool for 20 to 30 minutes before you stir and serve it. Pack any extra into containers with tight lids for up to a week.