Back To School Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9×13” baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some paper sticking out of the sides so that you can easily remove the bars from the pan once cooked (you can grease the pan before lining it with parchment to help it stick).
• In a small saucepan, combine the coconut oil, honey, agave syrup and brown sugar. Cook on low heat until the coconut oil is melted, stirring well to help dissolve the brown sugar. Add the vanilla and set aside.
• In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Add the coconut oil mixture and mix well. Fold in 1/3 of the chocolate chips.
• Pat the mixture into the prepared pan with your hands: you want to make sure that it is firmly pressed to ensure that the bars will stick together.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and completely cool and press the bars down again before taking the bars out of the pan (this can easily be done by lifting the parchment sides).
• Melt the remaining 1/3 cup of chocolate in the microwave (at 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted). Drizzle the chocolate over the bars and cool. Cut into bars with a large sharp knife.