Great Day Granola

Black sesame seeds are pictured in today's batch of Great Day Granola.

Behind many great recipes there is a great story.  I can't single out just one story behind the SimplyCooking® Great Day Granola recipe as this simple everyday recipe is the result of many years of granola making, sharing and  munching by my family, friends and frequent houseguests.  

great day granola

1/2 cup grape seed oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt, Celtic Sea Salt

5 cups oats

1/3 cup sesame seeds

1 cup almonds

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325° F.  In a large bowl combine the oil, honey, water, vanilla and salt.  Stir in the oats, sesame seeds and almonds.  Combine until the dry ingredients are evenly coated.  Place the mixture on an ungreased jellyroll pan.  Bake 15 minutes.  Using a metal spatula turnover the mixture lightly and respread on the pan to ensure even browning.  Bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool 15 minutes.  Mix in the raisins.  Store granola in an airtight container or glass biscotti jar.

A note about texture:  Use a metal spatula during the cooling process to get the consistency you like.  For a chunkier granola,  scrape cooled granola up by large sections and break into chunks.   Because the pan is ungreased the granola will stick to the pan as it cools and will need to be scraped off in chunks.   For a finer texture, turn the granola over and break up while cooling.