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

For the Maple Pecans:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees and place the 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 it continuously; it will begin to get sticky.
4. When all the moisture is gone and the syrup on the pan starts to become golden (about 6 – 8 minutes), remove from heat.
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 them aside.

For the Oats:

1. In a large cast-iron or nonstick pan over medium heat, add the oats and frequently stir 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 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, cook for 1 minute, then mix into the dry ingredients.
4. Pour into a 9x13-inch pan and 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.