Chewy Chocolate, Coconut, and Pecan Granola Bars {No-Bake; Vegan; Gluten-Free}
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Yield: 1 (8 by 8-inch pan), about 12 bars
 
Ingredients
  • Coconut oil, to grease the pan
  • 1 (13.66 fl oz/403 ml) can full-fat coconut milk
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon butterscotch flavor (see note below)
  • 2 cups (200 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ½ cup (60 g) toasted and cooled (unsalted) pecans, chopped (or any nuts you like)
  • 2 tablespoons golden ground flaxseed
  • ⅓ teaspoon fine salt
  • ½ cup (100 g) mini semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Line an 8 by 8-inch dish with parchment paper and grease the inside with coconut oil; set aside.
  2. Combine the coconut milk and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down so it doesn’t boil over, and boil until reduced to about 1 cup, about 20 minutes, whisking frequently. (The cooking process is all about evaporating off the extra liquid. Because of this, it could take longer depending on the weather; I made mine on a cold, dry day, but I expect it could take a bit longer on a hot, humid day.) Cool completely to room temperature (this is very important so that your chocolate chips don’t melt). Stir in the vanilla extract and butterscotch flavor.
  3. Combine the oats, nuts, ground flaxseed, salt, and chocolate chips in a large bowl, and then stir in the coconut/maple syrup mixture.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Cover the top with parchment paper; firmly and evenly press down across the top to compact the mixture.
  5. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 2 hours, before cutting into bars.
  6. Once cut into bars, wrap them individually and store refrigerated up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Butterscotch Flavor: I use Frontier Natural Butterscotch Flavor. If you can’t find this, you can use a different flavor or extract; caramel would also work well here, or just omit it and increase the vanilla extract to 2 teaspoons.
Recipe by An Edible Mosaic™ at https://www.anediblemosaic.com/chewy-chocolate-coconut-and-pecan-granola-bars-no-bake-vegan-gluten-free/