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1
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 300F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
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2
Boil water in a kettle or small saucepan and pour over dates until they are just covered. Add a couple of teaspoons of vanilla extract, orange juice, brandy or rum to the water-date mixture if you wish (this will infuse them with a little more flavor) and set aside for about 20 minutes.
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3
Place the oats, nuts, coconut flakes/flour, salt, spices (if using) into a large bowl, and stir well. Add the golden syrup and olive oil, and stir to evenly coat.
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4
Strain dates, discarding soaking liquid, and chop (I like to chop them roughly but you know how you like them). Add the chopped dates to the dry ingredients.
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5
Whisk egg whites until frothy. Stir the egg whites into the granola mixture until they are evenly incorporated.
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6
Divide the mixture between the two prepared sheet pans. After about 20 minutes, use a large spatula to turn large the granola over, keeping it in large pieces.
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7
Rotate pans front to back and bottom to top. Bake 20-30 minutes longer, until the whole pan is an even, toasted, golden color.
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8
Remove the pans from the oven and allow to cool completely.
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9
Once the granola is cool, break into whatever size chunks suit your fancy.
