Fruity granola bars recipe
These satisfying bars are packed with good things to keep you going until lunchtime, and the butter and sugar have been kept to a minimum with no loss of texture or flavour. The recipe can be easily changed to include your favourite dried fruit, nuts and seeds.
Quick-cooking rolled oats are the best choice for these bars because they stick together quite nicely. Makes 12 bars.
We also have a step-by-step picture guide to this recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g porridge oats (NOT jumbo)
- 50 g unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 75 g pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- 50 g flaked almonds
- 55 g butter, plus extra for greasing
- 100 g light brown soft sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 160 g clear honey
- 85 g soft dried apricots
- 2 tbsp fruit juice (apple works well) - or use water
- 140 g dried berries and cherries (or other dried fruits eg raisins)
Details
- Cuisine: English
- Recipe Type: Snack
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 35 mins
- Serves: 12
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3.
- Mix the oats, coconut, seeds and nuts on a large baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through, until they smell toasty and are pale golden here and there.
- Meanwhile, grease a 23cm shallow square baking tin, then line it with baking parchment. Put the butter, sugar, salt and honey in a large saucepan and melt them gently together to make a syrup. Chop the dried apricots, or snip them with scissors.
- Pour the toasted oats, seeds and nuts into the pan, then add the fruit juice or water and the dried fruit. Stir well with a spatula until everything is evenly coated in the syrup. Press the granola into the baking tin and smooth it flat with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until golden all over, then leave to cool completely in the tin. Lift the baked slab of granola from the tin using the paper to help, then cut into bars using a large sharp knife.
- Re-wrap in clean baking parchment and keep in the tin or an airtight container for up to one week.
Recipe taken from What to Bake & How to Bake it by Jane Hornby. Published by Phaidon, RRP £19.95.
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