Chocolate-Cherry Snack Bars

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups unsweetened puffed wheat cereal
• ½ cup pecan halves, chopped medium-fine
• ¼ cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
• ½ cup honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation

1. position a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 180°c. line a 9cm square pan with parchment paper, letting it overhang on two opposite sides. toss cereal, pecans, cherries, sesame seeds and ground flaxseeds in a large bowl.
2. combine honey, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. warm over medium heat, stirring, until the honey is more fluid and the salt is dissolved. pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and fold until everything is moistened and sticky. let cool for 5 minutes. fold in chips (or chopped chocolate) until evenly distributed. scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a fork. using the back of the fork, press the mixture very firmly all over.
3. bake until the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes. (if in doubt, take it out so the honey does not burn.) run a knife along the unlined sides of the pan to detach the bars. let cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour. use the ends of the parchment to lift the bars from the pan. gently peel off the parchment. use a heavy sharp knife to cut into 16 bars or squares.