This dry base is what I use for every granola I make.

The combo of fresh strawberry and banana, with the food from the heavens, chocolate, makes this granola irresistible. My recipe for granola is good, and good for you. Little do people know that the 15-year-old author of BenGusto.com is a granola maestro. This is only one of my many killer recipes for granola, which is a food I eat daily, and make every week.

I am a firm believer that dark chocolate is practically a panacea, and probably the best ingredient for desserts. You cover chocolate in something and it will automatically taste good. Even a fish head covered in chocolate may not be so bad.

This granola is best with a really dark chocolate. I suggest at least 70% cocoa. I am a dark, dark chocolate lover, so I go for about

The beauty of dark chocolate. This is 75% cocoa.

85%. The banana creates beautiful bunches that are slightly soft. The strawberry flavor is unfortunately rather unnoticeable, so it can be made without. However, it looks good, so I’ll go ahead and keep it in the recipe here.

Recipe:

Note: The measurements are not exact because I always “eyeball” the ingredients when baking granola.

• 1 1/2 Banana
• 5 Strawberries
• 6 cups of Long Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup of Wheat Germ
• 1/4 cup of Flax Seed
• 1/2 cup of chopped Almonds
• little more than 1/3 cup of Honey
  

  The fruits used.

• 4 oz. of  chopped Dark Chocolate
• Dried cranberries

Mix the almonds, flax seed, wheat germ, and oats together (the dry base I use for every granola).

Pulse the banana and strawberries in a blender. Add to dry mixture.

Blended strawberry and banana.

Add the honey. Add more honey if the granola doesn’t stick much and is not sweet enough.

A nice amount of our gift from the bees.

Spread granola out in a shallow pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes, stirring the granola every 8 minutes or so to make sure they don’t burn. This is important! You need to take the pans out and give it a good stir often so the granola is evenly toasted.

Ready to be toasted!

A granola bunch before baking.

A granola bunch after baking.

Once baked, mix the chocolate in with the granola so the chocolate melts in the cereal.

The chopped chocolate is added to the toasted granola so the chocolate melts.

Once cooled, add some dried cranberries to the granola as a finishing touch. Enjoy with milk or a bowl of yogurt!

Jarred with a touch of dried cranberries.