Vanilla Nut Grain-Free Granola (Easy Recipe)

The day before:

1. In a large bowl, place the 4 cups of raw plus 1 teaspoon of salt. Fully cover with water and set aside. Soak the nuts for 12 hours or overnight, changing the water once without adding salt to the water, about halfway through or the next morning.

Prep:

1. After 12 hours of soaking, drain and rinse the nuts under fresh water. Transfer them onto a clean kitchen towel and move them around for it to absorb any excess water.
2. Preheat the oven to 200F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make the granola mixture:

1. Place the nuts in the bowl of a food processor, pulsing a few times to chop them into small pieces. If you turn on your food processor and let the nuts go, you'll have nut flour.
2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut oil, cinnamon, honey or maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine.
3. Transfer the chopped nuts into the large mixing bowl with the sweet mixture, add the ground flax and unsweetened coconut, and mix well using a spatula until everything is covered in the cinnamon-vanilla mixture.
4. Divide the nutty granola mix between the two prepped baking sheets and spread it as a thin layer.

Bake:

1. Bake in the preheated oven for 2.5 to 3 hours, swapping positions every hour. If you overcrowd the trays or fill only one baking sheet, the dehydrating time will take up to 1 hour longer.
2. Once the nuts feel dry, after 2.5 hours, remove the trays from the oven and try the grain-free granola. If the nuts aren't crunchy enough for you, continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, and continuing to check at each quarter hour. The nuts will harden more after cooling, too.
3. If you're adding any other mix-ins, such as raisins or dried fruit, add it after baking. Allow the grain-free granola to cool down completely.

Store:

1. Transfer the fully cooled grain-free granola inside an airtight container or zip bag and store it in the pantry for up to 1 month.