No Sugar Added Banana Nut Granola

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup banana chips

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Use a fork to mash the bananas until nearly smooth, leaving a few small bits if you like. Measure the mashed banana, then add unsweetened apple sauce until you have 2 cups total, about one cup of each.
2. Transfer the banana and apple sauce to a small sauce pan, then add the peanut butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Warm the mixture over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring until it is smooth, combined, and loosened enough to coat the oats easily.
3. Put the dry oats and shredded coconut into a very large bowl. Pour the warm banana, apple sauce, and peanut butter mixture over them, then stir thoroughly until everything is evenly coated and you no longer see dry oat pockets.
4. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the oat mixture across the parchment in an even layer, keeping it no more than 1 inch thick. If it will not fit comfortably on 1 baking sheet, split it between 2 sheets.
5. Bake the granola at 300 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Stir it once after 30 minutes, then continue stirring every 15 minutes after that. The total time will depend on whether the granola is on 1 or 2 baking sheets, so watch it closely near the end and keep stirring every 15 minutes. It is ready when it looks golden brown and feels crisp.
6. Let the granola cool all the way. Break the banana chips into small pieces, then mix them into the granola. Transfer the cooled granola to an air-tight container.