Makes 16 bars
- 2 cups raw nuts, toasted (almonds, pecans, and blanched hazelnuts)
- ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds, toasted
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats, divided
- 1¼ cups tart cherries
- ¾ cup natural almond butter, unsalted
- ½ cup honey
- 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg white
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly oil 13x9" pan and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on both long sides. Lightly oil parchment.
Add nuts, seeds, and 1 cup oats to nut mixture in food processor and pulse until nuts are broken down to a sandy mixture and no whole oats remain. Transfer to a large bowl.
Pulse cherries in food processor until finely chopped, about the size of chocolate chips. Transfer to bowl with nut mixture. Add remaining 1 cup oats and stir to combine, breaking up any fruit that is stuck together. Add 3 Tbsp. oil and stir to coat. Add almond butter, but don’t stir it in.
Bring honey, salt, and vanilla to a boil in a medium saucepan (honey will bubble up) over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until honey is foaming vigorously and smells like caramel, about 2 minutes. Immediately pour honey syrup over almond butter in reserved bowl Stir to combine, making sure to aggressively break up any clumps of nut butter. Stir egg white with a fork or whisk in a small bowl to liquefy. Add to oat mixture and stir until egg white is no longer visible.
Transfer oat mixture to prepared pan and press firmly into an even layer. Bake granola bars until deep golden brown and no longer sticky or wet, 30-35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then lightly score into 16 long rectangles. Let cool completely in pan, then use parchment to hoist bars out onto a cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut along marks to separate bars. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
