Muesli/Granola Bar Formula

We sometimes buy cliff bars or other granola-type bars, but they have a lot of packaging and cost a lot. I needed a recipe for a snack for lunchboxes, for on-the-go eating, that was delicious and filling, so I could get this type of snack off my shopping list.

This is a versatile muesli bar recipe / granola bar recipe, that can be adapted depending on what I have in the cupboards. I also didn't want the basic recipe to be too sweet, as I want a muesli bar not a candy bar! So I've come up with a formula that seems to work for all kinds of flavors. I haven't tried nuts in mine yet as there is a no-nut rule for snack time at school, but I think they would add in nicely.

These freeze fine in an airtight container.

If you want to see an example of this formula in action, check out my Ginger & Date Granola Bar recipe

Ingredients: Base

Basic ingredients

125gms / 4.5oz Butter

1/2 cup brown or white sugar (or try coconut sugar)

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork

Spices (optional)

1-3 teaspoon of spices of your choice

or you could add 2 tbsp of cocoa

Syrup

2 tablespoons of syrup to add depth to the flavor

golden syrup

honey

molasses

treacle

maple syrup

Fruit

1 cup dried fruit (mixed if you like, and larger fruit like dates or apricots should be chopped)

'Texture' ingredients

2 cups of your choice (mixed if you like)

unsweetened dessicated / shredded coconut

oats

crushed wheat cereal like Weetabix or Weetbix

Cornflakes

Puffed rice cereal

up to 3 tbsp of wheat germ, wheat bran or ground flaxseed

Optional ingredients

up to 3/4 cup of any or mixed of these ingredients if you want (they come out fine without them though)

chocolate chips

roughly chopped nuts

sesame/sunflower/pumpkin seeds

Ingredients: Chocolate drizzle (optional)

2/3 cup chocolate chips - dark, milk or white

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Getting ready

Grease a 20cm x 30cm / 9 inch x 12 inch pan and line with baking paper. Preheat the oven (normal bake) to 180C or 360F. If the fruit is in large pieces, chop into the size of about a raisin.

Mixing

Base

Put the butter, sugar and your choice of syrup into a large pot and melt gently. Take off the heat once melted. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and any spices you've chosen. Add in the other dry ingredients, including any nuts or chocolate chips. Tip the dry ingredients in the bowl along with the egg into the butter mixture and mix well. It will take a little bit of effort to come together and will be quite sticky!

Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan and bake for 20 minutes until firm to touch in the middle.

To Serve

Cool the base for at least 15 minutes and then drizzle with chocolate if you wish. Once the chocolate has set, pull the entire base out of the pan using the baking paper and place with the paper on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars. I usually cut a grid of 3 x 8 making 24 bars.

Chocolate drizzle

Put the chocolate and oil into a glass bowl and microwave in 30 second blasts, mixing after each time with a silicone spatula until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Don't overcook! Spoon the chocolate mixture into a small ziplock bag and cut a small hole in the corner of the bag. Drizzle the chocolate over the base.