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1
Heat the oven to 350F and arrange a rack in the middle.
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2
Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with oil or butter; set aside.
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3
Place rice cereal, almonds, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, chia seeds, and flax seed meal on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with your hands to combine, and spread in an even layer.
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4
Bake, stirring halfway through, until almonds are fragrant and lightly toasted, about 12 minutes.
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5
Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
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6
Place cereal mixture in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until the mixture is broken up and the largest pieces are about the size of uncooked grains of rice, about 5 (1-second) pulses.
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7
Transfer to a medium bowl; set aside.
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8
Place dates in the food processor and process until finely chopped and a ball forms, about 15 seconds; set aside.
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9
Place almond butter, rice syrup, salt, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
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10
Stir until mixture is combined and runs like slow-moving lava, about 1 minute.
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11
Remove from heat, immediately add reserved dates and cocoa powder, and, using a wooden spoon, stir, smashing down on the dates, until well combined and no streaks of cocoa remain.
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12
Add reserved cereal mixture and stir, pressing as you do, until evenly combined.
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13
(This takes some muscle and time, about 5 minutes.)
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14
Transfer to the prepared baking pan and, using your hands, spread and firmly press the mixture into the pan.
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15
Let cool completely.
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16
Remove the date-seed slab from the pan.
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17
Cut it in half to form two rectangles, then cut each rectangle widthwise into 5 bars to form 10 bars total.
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18
Wrap each bar in plastic wrap.
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19
Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 weeks; let frozen bars come to room temperature before eating.
