• Preheat the oven to 300 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, place the oats.
• Spread the hazelnuts in an even layer on the baking sheet and for 5-10 minutes or until they start to release their aroma. Be careful not to overbake or burn!

Make the hazelnut butter

• While still warm from the oven, transfer half of the hazelnuts to the food processor. Blend well, stopping to scrape down the sides several times, until the mixture is liquid. If your food processor is large, it may not break down into a runny liquid. That's okay. We'll blend more when we add the remaining ingredients. While blending, chop the remaining hazelnuts and add them to the mixing bowl with the oats.
• Add the maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and almond extract to the food processor with the nut butter and blend to incorporate. Scrape down the sides occasionally.
• If the mixture is hot, let it cool a few minutes before adding the egg whites. If it's warm or at room temperature, go ahead and add it in and pulse just to combine (be careful not to mix it too much at this point).

Combine wet and dry ingredients

• Pour the hazelnut topping over the oat mixture in the bowl and stir well to combine.
• Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Spread in an even layer. I recommend cutting down to the parchment with the side of your spoon as you spread and separate the individual clusters. You don't want any sections to be too thick or the granola won't become crunchy.

Bake and cool

• Bake at 300 F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 275 F and bake for an extra 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to stir if you like large granola clusters.
• Turn off the oven and crack the door open to release the heat gradually for 30 minutes to and hour. As the granola sits in the oven, it will continue to dry out and become nice and crunchy.
• Remove from the oven and allow the granola to cool to room temperature. Serve or store in an airtight container to enjoy later!