tahini dark chocolate granola

Welcome to my most recent obsession: granola. Oh mah gah. Where has this been my whole life?! I've never been a fan of the storebought granola, as it always seems to be a bit stale and never quite crunchy enough, but since I've started making it myself, I can't stop. This stuff is SO good! My general granola-making recipe is this: old fashioned oats, honey, coconut oil, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Plus, basically, whatever I'm feeling like at the moment. I've done peanut butter, coconut flakes, white chocolate, dark chocolate, anything and everything. On this latest batch, as I was reaching for my trusty peanut butter, I noticed a sad, abandoned jar of tahini left from when I made baba ganoush {I know, like, 3 months ago}, and I got to thinking... tahini is just sesame seed butter, and they literally sell it on the SAME shelf as peanut butter, so it can't be that bad, right? Oh. OH. I was SO right. This stuff is seriously wonderful, and the dietary equivalent of crack. Once you make this, you will not be able to stop eating it. *Taylor Swift voice* Don't say I didn't warn yaaaa....

All joking aside though, this stuff is addicting, and the tahini gives it a sweet nuttiness that's not as distinctly PEANUT buttery as usual. I know tahini is a little intimidating, and if you smell it straight from the jar, you might be tempted to change your mind about adding it in because the smell is so strong and intense! But, hear me out; when mixed with oats and honey and brown sugar and all sorts of good things, this magical tahini mellows out into a subtle sweet-and-salty flavor that works perfectly with dark chocolate. Or milk chocolate. Or, like, any chocolate. I don't discriminate. This granola recipe is stupid-easy, and you will start using it as the base for innumerable trashed-up versions! That's what I've done, anyway. So, if you're like me and have a sad, abandoned jar of tahini that you don't know how to use... try mixing it in your granola. You might be surprised at just how delicious it is!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

tahini dark chocolate granola

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Servings: 4 cups

Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• ½ cup honey or agave
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• ¼ cup tahini
• ¼ cup flax seeds
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup chocolate chips {mini chocolate chips work really well here!}

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325F, and line a baking sheet with foil sprayed with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• In a large nonstick pot, on medium-low heat, combine the honey, tahini, coconut oil, and brown sugar, whisking until everything is smooth and dissolved.
• Add in the vanilla, cinnamon, and flax seeds, whisk until combined, then add in all of the oats.
• Remove from heat, and mix everything well, until all the oats are coated in the honey mixture.
• Dump granola onto the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes total, tossing the granola every 10 minutes.
• When ready, remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature before tossing in the chocolate chips.
• Let cool completely, and enjoy!