The Ultimate Granola

1 cup nuts, chopped coarsely
3 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup coconut flour or oat flour (blend old fashioned oats into powder)
2 tablespoons seeds of your choosing (flax, chia, pumpkin)
2 scoops protein power (if you have it, if not, you can add more of any dry ingredient)
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg white
1 cup dried fruit of your choosing (cranberries, chopped apricots, chopped mangoes, raisins, etc)

• Preheat oven to 300°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Stir together chopped nuts, oats, flour and seeds in a large bowl.
• Stir in protein powder, if using.
• Combine the coconut oil and honey in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
• Add sugar to oil/honey mixture and microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir.
• Stir cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and vanilla into the wet ingredients.
• Pour wet ingredients into bowl with the oats and stir to combine.
• Whisk egg white and add to mixture, stirring until evenly distributed. *The egg white is what helps the granola form large delicious clusters. If it’s too dry (because you add too many extras), you can add an additional egg white at this point.
• Pour granola out onto pan and flatten with the back of a spatula. Should be an even layer about 1/4” – 1/2” thick.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Fight the urge to stir- we want those big clusters to form.
• At around 30 minutes, check to make sure you aren’t getting any burning around the edges. If all looks good, return pan to oven for approximately 10 – 15 more minutes. The goal is a subtle golden color. When you think you have about 10 minutes left, add in the dried fruit and stir– but only minimally. Be gentle.
• When golden brown, remove pan from oven and let granola sit on the counter to cool completely.
• Store in an airtight container.