Peeps, I’m back! I know it’s been forever and a day, and I know I promised I’d be taking a “fall” hiatus from this here blog to write my cookbook, not a fall plus half the winter hiatus, but manuscript deadlines have a way of disrupting even the best laid plans. So there you have it. The good news is that my return is coupled with this recipe for sesame hazelnut granola and I’m pretty sure all will be forgiven once you make up a batch and try it.
The combo of super easy directions, uber crispy oats, the right combo of nuts to seeds, and a generous sprinkling of salt, puts this here granola in a category all its own. Back in the day, I made more pounds of granola than I can count at Baked, and their recipe, calling for hazelnuts no less, certainly influenced mine. However, for the last while it is this granola that I’ve been making at home, and I loved the addition of olive oil and sprinkling of salt so called for both in my recipe here.
Finally, it is this recipe, as well as this one, that gave me the idea to add a single egg white to my ingredient list, increasing the crispiness of my oats ten-fold. Served this up last weekend to a house full of weekend guests, and, I have to say, it was extremely well-received, to put it mildly.
Sesame Hazelnut Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats not instant
- 1 1/2 cups hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup coconut oil warmed first to melt if solid
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup coconut flakes
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silpat mat, if you have one, or parchment paper.
- Combine all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, save for the coconut flakes. Using your hands, mix everything together until all of the dry ingredients are coated with the wet. Transfer to the prepared baking pan and spread out the granola in an even layer.
- Bake the granola for about 40 minutes, rotating and stirring the granola with a spatula every ten minutes. At the 30 minute mark, add the coconut. The granola is ready when it has darkened in color and appears relatively dry. If you prefer granola that id lighter in color, bake it for about 30 minutes or so, til it is to your liking.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let sit until cool and then transfer to an air tight container. Granola will keep up to a month tightly sealed.