Prep Cook Yield Ready In
5 minutes 30 minutes 5½ cups 1 hour (includes cooling time)

Tahini and Olive Oil Granola

Salty-sweet, toasty perfection.

Olive oil comes in 5-liter jugs; why doesn’t tahini? Once I poured some into my salty-to-sweet granola recipe, I never looked back, and you won’t, either. It coats every grain with nutty richness and helps keep the mixture from becoming overly sweet.

I use olive oil, which can lend a strong flavor depending on the variety you use; I love that assertiveness, but feel free to swap in coconut oil, vegetable oil, or a mixture. And while I love silan (date syrup) here, it can burn resting directly against the sheet pan. So I cut it with maple syrup to make sure the whole tray turns the right shade of golden. In winter, I serve this granola over yogurt with tart pomegranate seeds and citrus; depending on the season, swap in the fresh fruit of your choice.

Reprinted from Sababa by arrangement with Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2019, Adeena Sussman. 

Ingredients

  • 2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ¾ cup chopped pecans, or other nuts of your choice
  • ½ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
  • ¼ cup shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
  • ⅔ cup pure tahini paste
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ⅓ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup silan (date syrup)
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1½ tsp fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup chopped dried cherries, cranberries, currants, or barberries*
  • yogurt, pomegranate seeds, orange segments, and/or pure tahini, for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
  2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, pecans, coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, olive oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, silan, vanilla, and salt, then pour over the oat mixture and toss to coat. 
  3. Spread the granola in a single, even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring the outer edges toward the center every five minutes (this prevents burning), until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, or five minutes more for darker, crispier granola. Remove from the oven, let cool completely, break any clumps into smaller pieces, then stir in the dried fruit.
  4. Serve in bowls with yogurt, pomegranate seeds, orange segments, and tahini. The granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 

*If you like your dried fruit softer, leave it out of the recipe and stir it in as you serve the granola. Or bake the dried fruit with the granola; it will caramelize and darken, and if you’re anything like me, you will like that.

Keep on Noshing

Israeli-Inspired Avocado Toast, Three Ways

These easy toasts are satisfying, healthful and even a little trendy.

VIDEO: How to Make Shakshuka

This beloved egg dish has become an Israeli icon.

Vegan Tahini Scones Recipe

Who wants a delicious buttery-tasting scone that is vegan, takes under 10 minutes to prepare and is loaded with nutrition? I’ll ...