Cranberry Almond Coconut Granola Bars

I finally decided to go for it and make my own granola bars. Since starting school and work, I have spent four months of running between studio and workplace, and less time to eat. I think I've pretty much established that I love to eat.
these granola bars are from Baking Bites.com, which seemed like the best place to start in terms of searching for a recipe. These are also made up of things I adore like almonds, oats, coconut and dried cranberries. They require no baking because you just boil a syrup, and stir in all the "stuff" pour into a pan, pack it down, cool and cut into bars. They taste a bit like jazzed up rice krispie squares, they freeze well, and have been keeping me energized during some long school days. These granola bars also happen to be vegan, and if you swap the rice krispies for gluten free brown rice cereal they can even be made gluten free.
I stupidly made these to take to school for some friends, now I am bombarded with requests for them. What was I thinking?

Coconut, Almond Cranberry Granola Bars

Vegan

Time: 15 minutes, plus cooling time

2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries

1. Line a 9×9″ square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, lightly greased.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, rice krispies, almond meal, ground flaxseed and coconut.
3. In a small saucepan, combine corn syrup, brown sugar and vegetable oil. Bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and salt. Pour into oat mixture and stir until dry ingredients are evenly moistened. At this point it should look something like unbaked granola. Stir in dried cranberries.
4. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press down into an even layer. Let stand until cool and set.
5. Cut into 16-20 bars with a sharp knife. Individually wrap in wax paper, if desired. Store in an airtight container.

From: Bakingbites.com