Let's just call it like it is. Granola is a gift from the heavens.

It has a perfect crunch, it's sweet, and it's super versatile.

But if you get granola from the grocery store, it'll have a ton of extra sugar added in.

And making your own is such a chore, right?

Wrongo!

This granola has a total of 3 ingredients (all of which you probably already have in your pantry anyway), is a snap to make, and it won't give you a sugar coma, but will still satisfy your sweet tooth.

Plus your house will smell like delicious peanut butter goodness. Who wouldn't want that?

MIRACLE OF MIRACLES, THE EASIEST PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA!

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 30 mins
Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
- 3 cups of oats (best to use old fashioned, but you could use any really)
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 180 celcius
- Place oats in a large bowl
- In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter and maple syrup. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Pour over the oats and stir until well combined (at this stage, you can keep it as is, or add whatever else you want... a little sea salt, cinnamon, dark chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, or dried fruit are all great options)
- Spread the oats evenly onto the baking sheet
- Bake for 15 minutes, stir, then bake for another 15 minutes. or until granola is slightly golden brown
- Remove (don't stir when you take it out) and let cool completely on the baking sheet
- Store in an air tight container for up to 1 month (like it'll last that long)

Banana bread. The ultimate in classic cozy baked goods.

Warm, cozy, and perfect with a cup of tea.

I made this for my flatmates my first year in London, and I think I may have won their love through it. We would often demolish an entire loaf in an afternoon. That's how good it is.

It's fluffy, moist, and not too sweet. Plus it's made with oats and there's big pieces of banana in there so it's healthy, right?

Recipea:
Prep time: 15 minutes / Bake time: 40 minutes
Makes one 9×5-inch loaf

3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar (can also sub coconut sugar)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup ground oats (grind your own in your blender - or you can just use another cup of flour instead)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 additional banana, sliced into chunks
Granulated sugar and a teaspoon of whole oats for topping

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork.
Then add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract, and mix well.
Sift in the flour, ground oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.
Fold in banana chunks.
Pour into to the baking pan and sprinkle with extra sugar and a few oats if you’d like.
Bake for 40 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean.

Peanut butter, dark chocolate, and sea salt. Need I say more?

Didn't think so.

These take no time to make and always impress.

Bring these to parties. Everyone will love you.



Recipea:

Makes about 1 dozen mini-cups.

180 g dark chocolate bar (I am officially addicted to Cadbury Bournville and I'm not sorry about it)
2 heaping tablespoons of natural peanut butter
1 heaping tablespoon of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon himalayan sea salt

Mix the PB and sugar until combined (the sugar will fluff up the peanut butter a bit).

Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl at 30 second increments until fully smooth and melted.

Coat the bottom of the mini cupcake liners in a thin (or thick!) coat of chocolate, approx 1/2-1 teaspoon.

Form a small disk of the peanut butter mixture so that it will fit in the liner without touching the sides.

Pour another 1/2-1 teaspoon of dark chocolate over the top so that the mixture drips down the sides and fully coats the top.

Sprinkle with sea salt.

Freeze to set.

(Keep in the freezer until you're ready to serve.)

ps. If you don't have cupcake liners, you can just make balls out of the PB mixture and coat in the dark chocolate, but let the chocolate cool a bit so you don't just melt the PB. You could even add a whole peanut or crushed peanuts on top to make 'em look all fancy. :]

No these cookies are not coffee flavoured.

Boom.

These take all of 10 mins to make and are just the best snacks/ breakfast / pre-workout energy blast/ late night cookies in town.

Confession: I just ate these as my dinner. I have no regrets.

These banana cookies (or "bookies" as they were so famously called in my flat) can be made simple with just these three ingredients, or you can spice it up by adding dark chocolate chips, coconut flakes, dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon, vanilla extract, etc. The possibilities are endless. The world is your vegan oyster.

These saved me during my Masters dissertation.

And may they bring you some easy, sugar free, tastes-like-a-cookie-but-really-its-healthy joy too.

I love you, banana cookies.

Recipea:

Makes 1-2 dozen cookies.

2 medium ripe bananas
1 cup of rolled oats
2.5 tablespoons of peanut butter

Mash the bananas. Add the oats and PB until combined. Spoon onto a greased baking tray and cook in a 180 degree (C) oven for 5-8 mins or until golden brown.

Let cool and bask in the glory that you spent 10 mins making glorious cookies that are delicious and actually pretty dern good for you.