Fennel Honey Granola

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup raw pine nuts or walnuts
• 1/3 cup (raw) sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds (if you use sliced almonds, wait to add them with the wet ingredients, they are too thin and will easily burn before others are toasted)
  
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 to 2 teaspoons fennel seeds 
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats (instant steel cut oats turn into oatmeal on the sheet, but it actually was still pretty good, I subbed 1 c steel cut instant oats for 1/2 a cup of the old fashioned oats)

• 3-4 T honey (Miss Bee Haven in Hugo MN is really good)
• 3-4 T creamy peanut butter
• 3 T butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice (or any juice, Bolthouse Farms blue goodness is my favorite)
• 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, less if the nuts/seeds are already salted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toast pine nuts or walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, and oats on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until lightly golden (3-5 minutes). Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees.

Meanwhile, whisk honey, peanut butter, butter, orange juice, cinnamon, vanilla, zest, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

Combine all and gently mix until oat mixture is completely coated.

Spread out on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring halfway through (edges will take on color before center does), until golden brown (20-25 minutes).

Let cool; granola will crisp as it cools. Break into pieces, then stir in dried fruit or other mix ins if desired, but dried fruit sometimes doesn't store well right in the granola, it's sometimes better to just add it to the bowl when you're eating it. Store tightly covered at room temperature.