Blueberry Caramelized Maple Pecan Breakfast Bars Drizzled with Chocolate

These Blueberry Caramelized Maple Pecan Breakfast Bars are a treat worth waking up for.  These bars are not only healthy; they are extremely satisfying for breakfast as well as a sweet treat.  They have a hint of blueberry with a lovely caramelized maple pecan crunch.  They are naturally refined sugar, vegan and gluten-free.

Blueberry Caramelized Maple Pecan Breakfast Bars Drizzled with Chocolate [Vegan]

Ingredients

For the Maple Pecans:

• 2 cups Raw Pecans
• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt

For the Bars: 

• 2 cups Caramelized Maple Pecans
• 2 cups oats - toasted
• 3 cups brown rice crispy cereal
• 1 cup quinoa crunch - or an additional cup of rice cereal
• 1/2 cup freeze-dried blueberries
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon flax seed meal
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2/3 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon extract hazelnut or vanilla
• 4-ounce vegan chocolate chips

Preparation

For the Maple Pecans:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F degrees and place rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Add all the ingredients to a cast iron or a saute pan and then cook over medium heat.
3. As soon as it starts to bubble or get hot, stir continuously, they will start to get really sticky.
4. When all the moisture is gone and the syrup on the pan starts to become golden, remove from heat. (about 6 – 8 minutes)
5. Spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Separate them a bit. Let cool.
6. Place the pecans in the oven on the middle rack for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
7. Chop up the pecans into fairly small pieces, set aside.

For the Oats:

1. In a large cast iron or nonstick pan over medium heat, add the oats and stir frequently for about 5 - 7 minutes or until they start to smell toasted.

To Assemble the Breakfast Bars:

1. In a small pan on medium heat, add the brown rice syrup, maple syrup, coconut oil and salt.
2. While cooking, in a large bowl, add the all the dry ingredients together along with the remaining 1/4 cup of blueberries, the one cup of the chopped pecans and mix well.
3. When the syrup comes to a boil, add in the extract and cook for 1 minute then mix into the dry ingredients.
4. Pour into a 9 by 13-inch pan and leave it fluffy for a minute while you sprinkle on the remaining cup of pecans and blueberries.
5. Press everything down as hard as you can with the back of a spatula.
6. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
7. Remove from the fridge and cut the bars into 14 - 16 bars.

For the Chocolate Drizzle:

1. Melt the vegan chocolate in a double boiler on low or in a larger bowl over another bowl making sure it's snug.
2. With a spoon, drizzle the chocolate all over the bars.
3. Keep refrigerated.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/blueberry-caramelized-maple-pecan-breakfast-bars-drizzled-with-chocolate-vegan/