"Thai" Granola with Coconut & Sesame

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C). Line a large baking pan with parchment paper or silicone liner.

Step 2

In a dry saute pan, add sesame seeds and toast over medium high heat until the white ones are aromatic and golden brown. If using black ones, they should start to pop, smoke, and become aromatic. Remove and let cool.

Step 3

In the same pan, reduce the heat to low, add the coconut and stir quickly until it is a deep brown colour (not light brown, you want it darker for a more toasty flavour). This can happen very quickly especially if you’re using finely shredded coconut, so be sure to stir very quickly and have a plate ready to remove from the pan. Set aside.

Step 4

Have the oats ready in a large mixing bowl.

Step 5

For the syrup: in a small pot, stir together palm  sugar, coconut milk, coconut oil and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and keep cooking until all the sugar is all dissolved, stirring occasionally.

Step 6

Turn off the heat then stir in the sesame seeds, and if you’re using finely shredded coconut or any other small seeds, you’ll want to add that into the syrup as well. If using large flakes of coconut you can add it in at the end with the dried fruit.

Step 7

Drizzle the syrup over the oats and toss to thoroughly and evenly coat.

Step 8

Spread evenly on the baking sheet, leaving a bit of an empty space in the centre for more even baking (see video).  Bake for 30-35 minutes total, taking it out after about 15 minutes to stir. When done, the oats should have darkened into a deep golden brown colour and will be completely crispy once cool. They will not be crispy when hot, so to check for crispiness, take a little bit of the mixture and blow on it to cool it down quickly and see. If not yet crispy, keep baking in 5 minute increments.

Step 9

Leave to cool on the baking sheet, then transfer into a large mixing bowl, breaking large pieces up gently with a wooden spoon.

Step 10

Stir in coconut flakes and all of your dried fruits, nuts and seeds.

Step 11

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place and it should last at least 2 months. Note: If using longans as I did, they will dry out after about a month because the oats will absorb their moisture. So if you make a large batch that you plan on keeping for a while, maybe add the longans in when you’re eating.