Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 7 or 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray.

Add the flax, oats, sunflower seeds, pepitas and cranberries to a food processor and blend briefly to break down the seeds and combine.

Add the vanilla, if using, and the sunflower seed butter and maple syrup and blend to combine into a thick, sticky dough.

Dump the mixture into the baking pan and firmly press down into an even layer.

Bake the bars for 25 minutes until golden brown on top then let cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes.

If you used parchment paper, lift the bars out of the pan and cut into 16 squares or 12 bars. If you used cooking spray, cut them in the pan and remove one by one.

Let the bars cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 3 months.