No-bake honey granola bars

Ingredients

• 2 cups (180 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup (50 g) sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup (170 g) honey
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup (135 g) creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (60 g) mini chocolate chips, optional

Method

1. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment, leaving an inch of overhang on two opposite sides so you can lift the slab out later. Set the pan next to the stove.
2. Toast the oats and almonds together in a large dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the kitchen smells nutty and the oats are barely golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Almonds go from toasted to scorched in under a minute, so keep everything moving. Scrape it all into a large bowl.
3. Put the honey, butter, and salt in a saucepan that holds at least 2 quarts. The extra headroom is not optional. Boiling honey foams up to three or four times its volume, and a small pan will send it over the side.
4. Bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once big bubbles are breaking across the entire surface, set a timer and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. This single minute is what lets the bars hold their shape on the counter. Take the pan off the heat as soon as the timer goes, and pull it early if the honey starts to darken past a deep amber. Honey scorches faster than sugar does.
5. Off the heat, stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and glossy with no streaks.
6. Pour it over the oats and almonds and stir until every oat is coated and no dry pockets are left at the bottom of the bowl. Move quickly, because the mixture stiffens as it cools.
7. Scrape the mixture into the lined pan and press it down hard and evenly, using the greased bottom of a drinking glass or a folded piece of parchment. Press harder than feels reasonable. Bars that fall apart are almost always bars that were not packed tightly enough.
8. If you want chocolate, scatter the chips over the warm surface, wait 2 minutes for them to soften, then spread them smooth with the back of a spoon.
9. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, or 10 to 15 minutes in the freezer, until the slab feels firm and no longer tacky. Lift it out by the parchment and cut into 12 bars with a sharp knife. Cutting while it is still warm will tear them. They keep in an airtight container for 5 days at room temperature or a month in the fridge.