Begin by preheating the oven to 225 degrees F.
Combine all the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir together really well.
Pour melted and cooled butter over the dry mixture and stir well (if choosing to sweeten with maple syrup add this as well).
Separate the egg whites from the yolks. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. (The easiest way to know you’ve reached soft peak stage is if you take the beaters out of the egg white and turn them upside down you’ll see the egg whites hold a peak shape.)
Gently fold the egg whites into the dry ingredients.
Spread the granola mixture out evenly on a cookie sheet prepared with parchment paper and bake for 60 minutes. I choose not to stir the granola at all so that big clusters will form. (note: if adding maple syrup allow the granola to cook for 15-20 minutes longer.)
Allow to fully cool. Store in an airtight container on the counter for 1-2 weeks.
