Line an 8x8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil, letting the ends hang over the sides of the dish.

Mix the oats, rice cereal, almonds and flaxseed together in a bowl.

Heat the sugar, honey and coconut oil in a large saucepan on the stove, stirring often until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Simmer the mixture for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.

Pour the oat mixture into the saucepan. Using a spatula, stir to combine all of the ingredients well. Stir in the cherries.

Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and press it down into the pan, packing it in firmly (packing it in tightly will ensure that the bars don’t fall apart). Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top and press them lightly into the granola mixture.

Place the dish in the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours. Remove the granola mixture from the dish, using the parchment paper to pull it out of the dish. Place it on a cutting board and cut it into 12 bars with a sharp knife. Store extra bars in the refrigerator with parchment paper or foil in between the layers to prevent them from sticking.