Preheat oven to 300˚F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan, then line the pan with parchment paper with ends extending over 2 edges of the pan. Set aside.

Place nuts, seeds and coconut flakes on a sheet pan. Add the 3 tablespoons of coconut oil and 4 tablespoons of rice syrup. Stir to combine. Place in oven for 20-25 minutes or until mixture begins to turn golden, stirring well every five minutes to redistribute. Remove from oven andallow to cool for 5 minutes. Reduce temperature to 250˚F.

While nuts and seeds are toasting, combine cherries, 2 tablespoons rice syrup, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, cinnamon salt and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 1 minute or until mixture is fairly smooth.

Combine toasted nut/seed mixture and cherry mixture from food processor in a large bowl. Stir with a large spatula to combine. Cherry mixture will be thick, so you'll need to work it into the nut/seed mixture. Keep stirring and working the cherry mixture in until there are no large chunks left. This will take several minutes and will be easier if you don't let the nuts cool down too much. I like to put my bowl in my sink as it's much easier for me to stir it and work the cherry mixture in from above. These silicone spatulas with wooden handles are some of my favorite kitchen tools. They're inexpensive, sturdy and you don't have to worry about the handles melting if resting on a hot pot. I have a zillion of them and and you'll often find every last one of them in my dishwasher as I use them ALL the time. They're perfect for a job like this.

Transfer mixture to prepared 8-inch pan and, using a lightly oiled spatula or oiled fingers pat mixture firmly to an even layer.

Place pan in oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bars are no longer sticky. Cool in pan, then remove (with parchment paper "handles") to a cutting board and cut into 1 x 4-inch bars. If smaller servings are desired, cut into 1 x 2-inch bars. Store in an airtight container. You can also freeze bars, uncovered, on a sheet pan. When frozen, transfer to a ziplock bag or airtight container. Thaw before serving.