If there's one thing I always have to hand, it's breakfast bars. Keep them in the fridge or in the freezer, these are absolutely delicious and make a great grab-and-go snack when time is not on your side. With no need to bake, these are a great way to use up any extra ingredients floating around the cupboards, I've given these a festive twist but you can use whatever you love and have leftover to create your own.
Total time to make : 20 minutes + chill time
Servings : 8 bars
Ingredients
240g rolled oats
240g nut butter or tahini
240g rice malt syrup or honey
6 tbsp coconut oil
240g dried fruit - I've used a mix of cranberries and mixed peel here
30g flaked almonds
20g sesame seeds
20g pumpkin seeds
20g flaxseeds
2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
1 tsp cinnamon
100g dark chocolate chips
Method
Line an 8 x 8” square baking tin with baking paper and set to one side.
Use a sharp knife to roughly chop any of the large ingredients (if you're using dried fruits such as apricots, dates etc.)
In a large saucepan over a medium to low heat, melt the nut butter or tahini, rice malt syrup (or honey/golden syrup) and coconut oil together until everything has melted down - this will be the 'glue' for our ingredients! Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the oats with any nuts and seeds (flaked almonds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds here) together. Add in the cinnamon, if using, and salt. Pour in the melted nut butter mixture and use a spatula or spoon to mix everything together until evenly coated.
Finally, add in the chocolate chips and mix through again. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and use a spatula or back of spoon to spread everything evenly, pressing down firmly to compact everything together.
Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before slicing with a sharp knife.
Nutritional Information
(per serving)
294 calories
17g fat, 30g carbs, 6g protein
Good to know:
Swap nuts, seeds and dried fruits for any of your favourite variations, just keep to the weight ratios and roughly chop any larger ingredients
Use any nut butters or tahini for a nut-free version
Replace honey with golden syrup to make it vegan
Use certified ‘gluten free’ oats if you need these to be GF
Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months