Vanilla Muesli Bars

A muesli bar is always a great snack choice - especially when homemade and free from additives. Our vanilla muesli bar recipe is great because it's easy and straightforward to make, requires no baking, and is flexible, allowing you to add whatever combination of crunchy and sweet add-ins.

It's also a great option for Ramadan. Having suhoor can be really tricky, especially during the first week. These muesli bars are full of nutrients and healthy fats that will help to get you through the day.

They’re also an excellent option for school lunchboxes (and adult ones!). You’ll be surprised at how easy these are to make and will wonder why you ever bought a muesli bar.

Dry ingredients 

•⁠  ⁠1 cup of crunchy things: I used almonds, walnuts, cashews, and pumpkin seeds (but you can use whatever unsalted/roasted nuts, seeds, or even shredded coconut you want)

•⁠  ⁠1 cup of sweet things: I used a mix of sultanas, milk chocolate chips, and dates (other good options are dried cranberries or other dried fruit)

•⁠  ⁠1.5 cups rolled oats

•⁠  ⁠1 tablespoon Two Healths Alcohol Free Vanilla Extract

•⁠  ⁠1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

Wet ingredients

•⁠  ⁠1/4 cup peanut butter (I used a smooth and unsalted one from the health food shop)

•⁠  ⁠1/4 cup pistachio butter

•⁠  ⁠1/4 cup honey

•⁠  ⁠1/4 cup maple syrup

Note: You could use 1/2 cup of any nut butter and 1/2 cup of honey instead.

Method

1.⁠ ⁠Line a 20 x 20 cm baking tin with baking paper. Let it overhang outside of the pan to allow you to remove muesli bars easily

2.⁠ ⁠Chop up any nuts that you are using into smaller pieces. Do the same with any large dried fruit you’re using (e.g if you’re using dates or apricots etc)

3.⁠ ⁠Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl until they’re well combined

4.⁠ ⁠In a pot, add the wet ingredients and heat on a low heat, stirring continuously. Once it starts to boil, keep mixing for 3 - 5 minutes until the mixture thickens into a caramel. A good way to see is if you can scrape the bottom of your pot and the path you scrape stays there

5.⁠ ⁠Pour the sauce onto the dry ingredients and mix well. Once you’ve been mixing for a bit, you can use your hand (with a glove) to mix everything well.

6.⁠ ⁠Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Press down well until you have a neat and even layer.

7.⁠ ⁠Cover and set in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Then remove and cut into smaller pieces. I cut them into 12.