We all know those shop bought granola bars? That come in a variety of flavours and my husband always eats them as a snack when marathon training. I also fondly remember something we had growing up in South Africa called Crunchies – a baked syrup and oats biscuit which is quite similar – although full of sugar so not suitable for our daily snacks. Well I decided to recreate those at home – something else for the packed lunch or after school snack. I’ve now made them 3 times using different recipes each time and have come to the conclusion that the no-bake ones go down a lot better than the baked ones! But each to their own, it’s completely dependent on your taste buds. I find the no-bake ones too sweet but the baked ones a bit dry. I will keep tweaking the recipes and will share as soon as I find the best, but for now here are a few varieties to try
No bake granola bars (adapted from www.blessthismessplease.com)
Melt together 1/4c honey and 1/4c butter (original recipe calls for brown sugar too but I tried both and preferred without – maybe because we all love honey in this house!)
Add in 2 cups of rolled oats (can be toasted but I’ve not tried)
Add in a splash of vanilla extract
Add in any extras – I’ve used sunflower seeds in one batch and a mix of linseed, goji berries, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in the other (bought at Aldi). Original recipe also suggests nuts but I’ve kept them out
Mix until it’s combined – it should be relatively sticky. Flatten it onto greaseproof paper on a baking tray and pop in the fridge. Takes about 2 hours to set, and lasts in the fridge –well ours lasted about a week until it was all finished!
Cut into pieces and enjoy
The baked granola bars (adapted from realmomnutrition.com)
Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1/2c whole wheat flour
1t BP
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2c cooked, pureed apples
1/4c honey
1t vanilla
Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl mix wet ingredients together. Pour wet into dry and mix until combined. Place on greaseproof paper on a baking tray and bake at 180 for 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and cut into squares
I I’m going to give these another go as I think they could be delicious and nutritious!