Line a baking dish with parchment paper. I used an 8x11 inch baking dish, but you can also use a square baking dish instead. I cut up 2 sheets of parchment paper and laid them like a cross over the baking dish. The granola bars come out much easier if you line the dish.

In a large bowl, mix the rolled oats, cereal, pecans, coconut, and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.

In a small saucepan, heat the brown rice syrup and peanut butter over medium-low heat. Stir them together so that you get a smooth batter. When the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat off. Mix in the vanilla extract. Allow the mixture to cool for around 15 minutes before mixing it with the dry ingredients. The chocolate chips will melt if you stir in the wet mixture too quickly.

Pour the cereal mix into the baking dish. Use a small piece of parchment paper to help you pack in the cereal mix. I find using the parchment paper is better than shaping the mix with wet hands.

Place the dish into the freezer for 10-15 minutes so that the bars can firm up.

Take the dish out of the freezer. Hold on to the parchment paper, and lift the entire block of cereal mixture from the dish. Cut the block into 12 bars.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/3 cup of chocolate chips for a minute. Continue melting the chocolate chips at 15-second intervals until nearly all the chips look glossy. Stir the chips together until you get a creamy mixture, and drizzle on top of the bars. Let the melted chocolate set before wrapping them.

To store the granola bars, wrap them individually with plastic wrap and put all the bars in an airtight container (I used a freezer bag). Refrigerate the bars for up to 2 weeks.