Elvis Granola

Even though I was born in California, I like to think I'm a southern girl at heart. I spent more then half of my life in Mississippi, and my mom and sister still live there. As I'm sure you may know, Mississippi was the birthplace of Elvis Presley, and the state takes great pride in that (did you know Oprah is from there too? Go MS!). In fact, the house he was born in is an hour east of my mom's house, and Graceland is about an hour north. I've of course visited both, and would highly recommend going if you're a fan and haven't been. 

When I stumbled across this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Eat Live Run, I jumped on it. I was confused at first, as I was always under the impression that Elvis loved to eat peanut butter and bananas together, but if the recipe calls for chocolate, you add the chocolate. Plus, the name...rocks. 

The result? The king of rock 'n' roll, is now the king of my breakfast. This granola is outstanding. It's so good, I couldn't wait two minutes to start writing about it. On top of yogurt, it's like dessert for breakfast it's so decadent. In homage to the king's love of bananas, I added a sliced banana on top. If you ask me, the banana should be mandatory, as I feel it completes the meal. Plus, fresh fruit! So put on a little Elvis, and whip up this granola, stat! Thank you...thank you very much.

Elvis Granola 

Ingredients

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 of a cup honey

1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky..doesn't matter)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups old fashioned oats

3/4 cup dry roasted peanuts

2/3-3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 275F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Bring the oil, honey, peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon to a simmer on the stove. Cook for 3-5 minutes.

While that's cooking, combine oats and peanuts in a large bowl. Pour hot syrup mixture over the oats and toss well to coat. Spread granola onto baking sheets, and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally and turning trays midway through. 

Cool completely before adding the chopped chocolate. Eat the granola by itself, or serve with yogurt or milk, and top with sliced bananas.

Recipe Source: adapted from Eat Live Run