Homemade Muesli Bars

Sending the husband off to work every morning I’ve been scratching my head as to what to pack in his lunchbox. If he’s lucky he might be able to stop for lunch, but most days he will eat whilst driving in the ute/on a motorbike/in a tractor – always moving, always outside in the rain, hail or shine, sometimes with a stroppy mama cow or cheeky bull to chase. So lunches and snacks have to be quick, easy, handheld.  Sweet treats are churned out of the farmhouse kitchen on a regular basis – berry muffins, choc chip biscuits, brownies, cakes, friands… A savoury option was lacking in my lunchbox repertoire though, and I’d really prefer not to be buying a whole lot of packaged snacks full of who knows what. So I whacked what I thought would make a good muesli bar recipe together and will be popping these in Matt’s little esky as he heads out the door every morning.

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Homemade Muesli Bars

1 cup flour (I used white but wholemeal or spelt would be preferable)
1 cup oats
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup pepitas
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey 
50g butter
1 egg, whisked

Mix all the nuts, fruits, oats and sugar together in a bowl. Melt the butter and honey together over low heat on the stove or in the microwave. Add to bowl to bind all the ingredients. Stir in egg too. Line a slice tin with baking paper and fill with slice mixture. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool in pan, slice up and munch.

The jury is still out on this one (i.e. husband is yet to taste test) so you might want to adjust each ingredient to taste. If you like you could omit the sugar as the dates and honey are probably enough sweetness. I would add some chia seeds to the tops of the bars but alas my pantry shelves are bare. I can tell this recipe will definitely be one I keep tweaking until it’s juuuust right – it’s super simple, easy, quick and jam packed with lots of goodies to make your tummy happy and full.