Honey Thyme Granola

Honey Thyme Granola

Granola is not something I usually make, especially not honey thyme granola. But I have Daphne Oz’s The Happy Cook from the library this week (see the other recipe I tried from her cookbook here), and this was a recipe that seemed within my comfort zone. Around the time the scent of vanilla started to drift through the house, I knew I wouldn’t have anything to regret. I did adapt it to suit what was in my pantry. Luckily, this granola can be made with whatever you have on hand; the ingredients list is more like guidelines.

 

My final note on this recipe is that, while I liked the excuse to use some fresh thyme from my garden, I feel like it didn’t add much to the recipe. So I increased the amount of vanilla in the honey thyme granola from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon. Feel free to play with the amount of vanilla; it’s hard to go wrong!

 

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups mixed chopped nuts: walnuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, or pistachios
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
salt to taste

 

Directions

First, heat oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.

Mix oats, sunflower seeds, and nuts in a large bowl. Set aside.

Combine olive oil and thyme in a small saucepan. Cook this mix over medium-high heat, swirling often, until thyme is fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. (The thyme may spit a little, which is fine.) Remove from heat and let the thyme oil cool and infuse for at least 10 minutes.

Mix honey, vanilla extract, and kosher salt into the thyme oil. Pour over the oat mixture and stir until covered. Turn out onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading granola fairly evenly.

Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until crisp and golden brown, about 50 to 55 minutes. Finally, sprinkle on a few pinches of salt and let cool completely before packing into airtight containers. (I used a Mason jar, but Tupperware is fine.)

This honey thyme granola keeps for weeks, stored in a cool, dry spot. Enjoy with yogurt or honey!

honey thyme granola
Look at that gorgeous honey brown color!


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