Pear Apricot Snack Bars

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a sheet tray and spread the oats and pecans out on it in a single layer. Toast them in the oven for 5–10 minutes, until they get really fragrant. Take the tray out but leave the oven on when they’re done. Let them cool for a couple of minutes, then set up a food processor. Combine the oats and pecans in the processor bowl with the diced pears, apricots, brown sugar, cinnamon, mahlab, flax seeds and honey. Pulse it all together thoroughly until it is a sticky, uniform mixture.

Get out an 8 x 8 baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Make sure there is enough to have flaps hanging over the sides, which makes lifting the bars out of the pan a cinch. Use a spatula to spread the mixture into a perfect, even layer in the pan. Fold the flaps of parchment paper over the mixture and press it out on the parchment paper so that it isn’t sticky on your hands. Bake the mixture for 20 minutes, then take it out and let it cool for 10–15 minutes. Slice the mixture into bars by making 3 equal vertical slices, then making a horizontal cut halfway down. Let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!