I don’t think there is any other snack more included in the lunch box every single day than the muesli bar. I remember the humble muesli bar being the highlight of my morning tea at school and have adored them ever since. I absolutely love the sticky gooeyness that holds together an array of gorgeously chewy oats, sweet dried fruit and crunchy roasted nuts. And the hit of energy they provide is fantastic for the kids (big and small).
Buying muesli bars from the store if perfectly okay but there is something so much more special and not to mention delicious about whipping up your own batch! Not only do you get complete control over what goes into the bars but they are a breeze to prepare and once you realise how easy they are to make you’ll never buy store bought bars again.
In today’s bars, I decided to celebrate the cool weather and opted for ingredients that echoed the winter season; dates, sultanas, pumpkin seeds and pistachios.
This recipe begins with placing the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan and heating on the stove top over a medium heat until the butter is melted.
In a large bowl I placed all of the dry ingredients; flour, brown sugar, oats, sultanas, pumpkin seeds, chopped dates and pistachios and mixed until combined, making a well in the center.
I then poured the melted syrup mixture into the well of the dry ingredients and mixed until all combined ensuring each oat was covered in the lovely sweet syrup.
I then placed the coated oat mixture into an oven tray lined with baking paper and using the back of the spatula patted down until flat, even and smooth.
Off to a preheated oven the bars went to spend 15 minutes or so, just until the bars were golden and cooked.
I then retrieved the bars from the oven and enjoyed the amazing smell of roasted nuts, oats and syrup that was wafting from the oven. I allowed the bar to cool completely in the tray before removing it and chopping into bars suitable for the lunch box.
We all really enjoyed the mix of dates, sultanas, pumpkin seeds and pistachio but please feel free to create your own unique bars by using any type of dried fruit and nut combination. Off the top of my head macadamias, cranberries, dried apple, dried mango, cashews, raisins, almonds would all be fantastic! Make it your own and have fun with the recipe!
Muesli bars
INGREDIENTS
125 grams butter
¼ cup golden syrup
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup sultanas
½ cup dates, chopped
½ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
½ cup pistachios
½ cup self raising flour
½ cup brown sugar
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring until the butter is melted. Place the oats, sultanas, dates, pumpkin seeds, pistachio, flour and sugar in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter mixture and mix to combine. Press into the base of a 20cm x 30cm tin lined with baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool completely in the tin before cutting into slices to serve.
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I finally got a chance this morning to make these, soooo good! I made them for my boys but I think my husband may eat all of it! Thanks for posting this! x
Fantastic! Your hubby sounds just like mine hehehe! Enjoy! X
I made it yesterday for my 11 months old. I substituted the pistachios with almonds; and i chopped all the ingredients into small pieces. My partner who doesnt eat anything “healthy” actually took some to work today. Very delicious!!
I have just taken these out of the oven. SO EXCITED
I have been meaning to make this for months now. LO is a year old and teething ahhhh!!! Before i went to england i made a special list just for these museli bars, and oh do they taste lush! Not only will LO enjoy these yummy bars, but something to look forward to for mummy and daddy after breaking our fast. Thanks so much!!
how many does this recipe make??
I keep finding more of your healthy recipes to try… this looks amazing, I am going to have to make a folder with all the recipes I want to try from your blog, thanks for sharing!
I will be making these for my 17 year old son.
what’s golden syrup? Maple syrup? …Love your website (so beautiful!) and delicious recipes!
Golden syrup is the syrup from the first boil of sugarcane. It has a thicker consistency than honey and has a distinctive flavor. One hundred percent maple syrup is made by boiling and concentrating the sap from maple trees. I hope this helps. Happy cooking x
Thank you for this great recipe, I have been making this for the last month on a Sunday. I add chia seeds and all sorts of different things, I eat it all week at work for morning tea and it rocks. I put a pic on Facebook bragging about my baking skills and was asked by nearly 10 people for the recipe, so I shared your page and they all commented positively about their results, thanks again
i made these using sesame seeds instead of pumpkin seeds (only cos i didn’t have any pumpkin seeds). mother in law and hubby loved them…personally i think i would have preferred them with pumpkin seeds…. i will be making these again but with pumpkin seeds…
thanks for sharing great recipes with step by step instructions and helpful hints
Yum! The sesame seed version sounds delish! X
This recipes sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try making them this afternoon! Just wondering if you think it would be okie to substitute the brown sugar for honey to make slightly healthier?
Hi lovely! So happy you’re going to make them! I love this recipe. I have tested the recipe with both brown sugar and honey. They both work however the honey tends to make the bars brown REALLY quickly so be sure to lower the oven temperature slightly. If they are browning too quickly (and are still uncooked) simply cover the bars with foil and continue to bake until set. I hope the helps. Happy cooking and have a wonderful weekend. xxx
Thank you soo much for the quick reply!!! Let the cooking begin 😀 x
Made them last night and they are even so yummy! My 3 year old and husband both think they are great too! I changed the syrup to honey (I still added the sugar though) but I reduced the flour by half but added in some Brewers yeast and flaxseed meal to help with my supply as I’m breastfeeding 🙂 thank you so much for a delicious recipe I’ll be making again for sure!! Xx
Hi,
I am just wondering if these are okay to freeze, also how long would they last refrigerated ? x
Hi! Yes, you can freeze muesli bars (I only just figured that out – they actually freeze/defrost wonderfully). Hope that helps. Kayla xx