Dark Chocolate, Nuts & Sea Salt Homemade Kind Bars

Ingredients~

FOR NUT MIXTURE:

2 cups whole roasted* unsalted almonds

3/4 cup whole roasted* unsalted peanuts

3/4 cup roasted* walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup puffed millet

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

FOR SYRUP:

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup brown rice syrup

3/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla

FOR CHOCOLATE DRIZZLES:

1 cup dark chocolate cacao chips

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions ~
Grease/spray large bowl, 9x13 baking sheet/pan, rubber spatula. Set aside.
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*IF NUTS AREN'T ALREADY ROASTED:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on large baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until lightly toasted.
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Add toasted nuts to large bowl. Add puffed millet and flaxseed meal. Stir to combine; set aside. In 1-1/2 or 2 quart saucepan, combine honey, rice syrup, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and vanilla over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches 260 degrees (hard ball stage) on a candy thermometer about 6-8 minutes. Immediately, pour mixture over nut mixture, stir until evenly coated. Quickly transfer to greased/sprayed 9x13 pan, use spatula to spread mixture evenly in pan; press the mixture to close in holes and distribute evenly all over the pan. Using spatula to compact mixture in pan. Sprinkle top with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Let cool 20 minutes. While still slightly warm, invert pan on cutting board and tap until mixture falls out in one piece. Cut into 20 bars. (If they cool too much and become too hard or brittle to cut easily, put in warm oven for 1-2 minutes to soften; proceed with cutting.) Allow bars to cool completely before proceeding with chocolate drizzles.

FOR CHOCOLATE DRIZZLES: Add chocolate cacao chips and oil to microwave safe bowl. Cook on high power in 20 second intervals, stirring each time, just until last chips melt into mixture (approx. 60 seconds total). Use fork or squeeze bottle to drizzle chocolate over nut bars. Let cool until chocolate hardens.

STORAGE TIP: Store in airtight container with parchment paper between layers. For take-along convenience, use parchment paper pieces to wrap individual bars burrito-style. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week. May refrigerate to extend storage or if firmer, less sticky bars are preferred. May be frozen, too.