Servings: 12

½ cup pecans, finely chopped ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
1½ cups GF rolled oats 1½ cups GF rolled oats
1¼ cups rice crisp cereal 1¼ cups rice crisp cereal
¼ cup pepita seeds ¼ cup pepita seeds
¼ cup dried cranberries ¼ cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup brown rice syrup ½ cup brown rice syrup
¼ cup roasted almond butter or peanut butter ¼ cup roasted almond butter or peanut butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 °F. Line 9 inch square cake pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper
Spread the pecans in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant. Set aside and cool.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, rice crisps, pepita, cranberries, cinnamon, salt. Stir in the cooled pecans.
In a sauce pan, stir the syrup and almond butter until well combined. Cook over med-high heat until the mixture softens and bubbles slightly, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Pour the almond butter mixture over the oat mixture, using a spatula to scrap every last bit. Stir well until all the oats are coated.
Transfer the mixture to the pan, spreading it out in an even layer. Lightly wet your hands and press down on the mixture to even it out. Use a pastry roller to compact the mixture firmly and evenly. This helps the bars hold together better. Press down the edges with your fingers to even out the mixture.
Place the pan in the freezer, uncovered, and chill for 10 minutes, or until firm.
Lif the oat square out of the pan, using the parchment paper, and place on a cutting board. White a pizza roller, slice the squares into 6 rows then slice them in half to make 12.
Wrap the bars individually and separate with waxed paper. Store in the fridge for 2 weeks or in the freezer for 1 month.