[Recipe] Chocolate & apricot muesli bars

I have been meaning to conjure up a muesli bar recipe for a while now. My Dad recently went to see my naturopath and was thoroughly told off for his after work snack-attacks. And so, my Mum and I concluded that the answer to this would be to produce a healthier, but still tasty alternative that might stave off his hunger until dinner time. So, I was on the case. I usually research a load of recipes and then pick and choose different elements from each in order to create my own, as was the case here. A lot of the recipes I found required an array of expensive and exotic ingredients which arent really my style. So instead, I have (hopefully) stream lined a recipe that can be easily made, with a mixture of easily accessible and everyday ingredients. The mixture of oats (grain), nuts and seeds makes a complete protein (all 16 essential fatty acids), and thus should hopefully be 'filling' enough to stop one from reaching for a packet of scotch fingers in the hungry haze. 

*NOW I will start by saying that the muesli bars shown in the picture are raw, except for the chocolate on top. This is because I used my Mum's Thermomix to melt to coconut oil and honey together at 37 degrees, for 50 seconds on speed 3. But I don't personally own a Thermomix, and if you don't either, then all is not lost. Just boil some water, place it in a bowl, then put your honey and coconut oil in another, heat-proof bowl, on top and stir until melted and combined.

Anyway, on with the recipe! 

You will need:

1 cup raw almonds 

3/4 cup oats 

1/4 cup chia seeds 

3/4 cup pepitas 

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup raw honey 

3/4 cup coconut oil 

60g Lindt 70% dark chocolate, chopped (or raw chocolate of your choosing)

3/4 cup organic/additive free dried apricots, chopped 

How to: 

1. Place your oats, nuts, seeds and salt in the bowl of a blender and blitz until the mix becomes a rough meal. Place this mix in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

                

2. Next, melt together your honey and coconut oil by placing them both in a heat proof bowl, above another bowl of some just boiled water and stirring until melted and combined. 

3. Pour your honey & oil mixture over your oat mix and combine well (you might need to use your fingers a little!) 

4. Line a medium, rectangle pyrex dish (or any rectangle container, roughly 15cm x 20cm) with baking paper. Pour your combined mixture over the baking paper and press down with your fingers and/or the back of a spoon to pack firmly into the dish,  flatten and smooth out. 

5. Sprinkle over your chocolate and apricots, then use the back of a spoon to press them into the mixture (so that they will stick in place when the mixture sets). 

6. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes, until set. Cut into bars of your preferred size and store in the fridge. 

There is, of course, no reason why you couldn't mix your chocolate and apricots into the mixture instead of setting it on top - but i like the intensity of the flavours that having a whole layer of this deliciousness brings! 

I hope you enjoy these as much as we have! 

Angela