I’m all for moderation and denying that occasional sweet craving is such a bore, but with this homemade granola bar recipe, problem solved. They are totally delicious…sticky sweet, chewy and nutty but they benefit from being jam packed with amazing nutritious ingredients. These are the perfect cereal bars for a healthy sweet snack because they keep you full for hours without too much of a sugar overload, plus they deliver plenty of amazing healthy fats from the almonds. And as for the oats, well they are a powerhouse of essential vitamins such as thiamin, folic acid and vitamin E. They also contain zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium which are all fabulous for antiaging, skin elasticity and maintains healthy strong hair and nails. I’m nuts about oats!

I’ve added a generous amount of cinnamon which is an incredible spice loaded with antioxidants, it has anti-inflammatory properties, can actually help lower blood sugar levels and has a powerful anti-diabetic effect. Furthermore, cinnamon helps fight bacterial and fungal infections.

For the fruity part, the orange zest works wonders with the warm cinnamon and a good handful of goji berries – another wonderful antioxidant alleged to boost the immune system and brain activity plus protect against heart disease and cancer. Goji berries are packed full of vitamin C, vitamin B2, vitamin A, iron, selenium….these granola bars just get better and better!

I have used local raw honey – a great option, especially if anyone you’re cooking for suffers from seasonal allergies as if it hasn’t been pasteurised contains small traces of local pollen that can actually help with allergy issues – a little homemade homeopathy! I have opted for coconut sugar (it is lower GI and better for you than refined sugar) and a bit of butter, of course for a vegan option you can substitute with coconut oil or even peanut butter.

You simply gently boil this up and then add all the dry ingredients – mix it all together and pop it into the oven – it couldn’t be easier.

Feel free to add other nuts and fruits of your choice, even a bit of good quality dark chocolate. These keep well for a week but trust me they wont hang around for long!

A little tip – try and resist slicing them for at least 3 hours, better still the next day.

Ingredients

Makes 10-12 bars.

100ml local honey (or date syrup, or maple syrup or agave)

100g coconut sugar

60g butter (or coconut oil, or peanut butter)

zest of one orange

1 tablespoon vanilla paste

300g good quality oat muesli (sugar free)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

50g chopped toasted almonds

30g goji berries

30g desiccated coconut

25g hazelnuts (or pumpkin seeds or nuts of your choice)

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 160C. Grease and line the base of a 18 x 25cm tin.
2. Heat the butter (or coconut oil), honey, coconut sugar, vanilla paste and orange zest in a pan, stirring until gently boiling.
3. Add all the dry ingredients then mix until all the oats are well coated. Tip into the tin and press down lightly then bake for 30 mins. Cool in tin for at least 3 hour (or pop in the fridge to speed this up) then cut into 12 bars.