1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the Crust:

1. Cover a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Place 2 cups of chopped walnuts on pan and place in oven (reserve 1/4 cup of walnuts). Heat oven to 350 degrees. (The pan should be in the oven while it is pre-heating). Bake walnuts until they are lightly toasted, about 5-10 minutes. Keep your eye on them... they burn fast! Remove from oven, and allow to cool.
2. Lightly oil a 9×9" pan and line with parchment paper (to avoid bars sticking to pan).
3. To the base of a food processor, add 2 cups of oats and process until consistency is similar to flour. Add toasted walnuts, and blend until mixture has the consistency of rough sand.
4. Add egg, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla. Pulse until fully incorporated.
5. Take 2/3 of the crust "dough" (reserve the other 1/3) and press it into a 9 inch square baking pan. Wet your hands a little to help prevent the dough from sticking.

For The Filling:

1. To the food processor, add cherries, dates, cinnamon, ginger, applesauce, and lemon zest. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth. Spread mixture evenly over crust.

To Assemble:

1. Crumble the remaining crust evenly over the filling layer. Top with  remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts and some extra rolled oats. Sprinkle with salt. Lightly press the pie crust crumbles and nuts/oats into the filling. Bake 25-30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Allow bars to cool completely before slicing.