Recipe: Homemade Granola Bars

Written by: Farah

If there is one snack I can make at the beginning of the week to ‘busy-proof’ my daily diet, it’s this one.

It’s quick and easy to make, requires no real kitchen skills, and always ends up truly delicious. You don’t necessarily have to go out and buy special ingredients for this either–just make do with what you have available. These bars also stay fresh for up to a week in a cool, dry place, or in the fridge, if you prefer.

So rather than follow your work colleagues to the nearest vending machine to satisfy those 3pm sugar cravings, or to that local cafe brimming with chocolate brownies and lemon cheesecakes, reach for one of these homemade bars instead.

Granola Bar Recipe

Makes 25 bars

You will need a lined baking tray (approx. 11x17in)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups oats

1 cup almonds, blitzed 

1/2 cup pitted dates, blitzed

1/2 cup good-quality peanut butter (e.g. Whole Earth Sugar-free Peanut Butter)

1/4 cup honey

Optional (but delicious) extras:

Chia seeds

Flax seed

Pumpkin seeds

Cacao nibs

Cranberries

Sesame seeds

METHOD

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Roast the oats and blitzed almonds in the oven for 10-15minutes. You can omit this stage if you’re running low on time, but I like the roasted taste.
3. Put the peanut butter and honey in a saucepan and melt on low heat. Mix together to form a sauce-like mixture.
4. Tip oats, almonds and all the optional extras into a large bowl and mix.
5. Add the dates and the heated sauce to this mixture and stir well. You can add to a stand mixer if you prefer.
6. Add the combined mixture to a lined baking tray and squish it all down. I used a glass to help me get an even distribution (or you can just use your fingers!)
7. Leave the tray in the fridge overnight.
8. Cut into bars in the morning and wrap individually with wax paper.

Enjoy!