My healthy nutty granola

Despite what I used to believe, granola is often not that healthy a breakfast, as it's packed with fat, sugar and dried fruits (which are very sweet). When discovering how deceiving my shop bought granola had been to me, I stopped eating any altogether. 
Then I missed it, and I slowly came to the realisation that there had to be a way of making my own healthier granola by reducing the fat, the sweetening agent, and nut and fruits, while still enjoying a luxurious and crunchy breakfast. And I did!

My healthy nutty granola

Looking into Felicity Cloake's (The Guardian) research on the topic of homemade granola, I opted for her choice of coconut oil as the fat, and the addition of an egg white for crunchiness. I stayed with golden syrup, my favourite, for the sweetening agent, while reducing drastically the quantities called by most recipes.The results is a nice crunchy and nutty granola, which is not too sweet. If you would like is more fruity, why not add fresh fruits to it when serving?

Ingredients
250g rolled oats
30g coconut oil
45g golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 good pinch of flaked sea salt
1 egg white, beaten until frothy
1 handful mixed nuts (I used brazil nuts, flaked almonds, pecans)
2 tbsp mixed seeds (I used pumpkin and sunflower seeds)
1 small handful dried fruits ( I used dried mangos)

Method to make your own granola

1/ Preheat the oven at 150deg C. Prepare a baking tray and line if with baking parchment.

2/ In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients

3/ In a small casserole, mix the coconut oil, golden syrup, vanilla essence and melt on a medium heat, mixing until well combined. Allow to cool slightly.

4/ Pour the oil/sweet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well with a spatula until the dry ingredients are evenly coated in the wet mixture. 

5/ Add the frothy egg white and mix well again. 

6/ Pour the granola on the baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for about 20min. Take out of the oven shake slightly and bring back into the oven. Bake for a further 10min or until golden (watch out, you do not want the granola to over bake or the nuts will taste burnt). 

7/ Take out of the oven and leave to cool completely. Break the granola in chunks, add the dried fruits cut into pieces and store in an airtight container. Eat within 10 days (after which it might lose its crunchiness).