Back To School: Chewy Apricot, Cranberry & Coconut Muesli Bar (Nut & Dairy Free)
Back to school, back to school. All the kidlets are back to school. How are you feeling today mum's and dad's as your big and little ones make the trek back to the schoolyard. Me I am sad. J.D starts prep this year and it will be sad not to have him underfoot during the week. I am going to miss him. Trying to see the positives in him starting school but I just think it's so darn young to be going five days a week at the age 5. Anyway, don't get me started on that. I have a great recipe to share with you today to fill up those lunchboxes these Chewy Apricot, Cranberry & Coconut Muesli Bars. Yep, the dreaded lunch box packing has begun and I hope I have you covered with this recipe that is dairy & nut free. I know I am going to struggle with filling up a lunchbox five days a week so I have started developing some go-to recipes that will be going into our lunchbox for snacks and lunch that I can share with you here on the blog as well.
I have a few muesli bar recipes on the blog here but I was going for a recipe that would be nut free plus has the chew factor. These bars are chock full of dried fruit so every bite is filled with pops of flavour from the apricots, cranberries and the crunch from the coconut, sunflower seeds and pepitas. The base of these bars is made with oats and sweetened with rice malt syrup and a hint of cinnamon. What I am really happy with most of these Chewy Apricot, Cranberry & Coconut Muesli Bars is that they hold together really well. They don't crumble and keep there shape really well even after being bumped around a bit in a lunchbox. Plus they make a decent amount so you will be able to get at least a weeks worth of snacks out of these if you have a couple of kids. Plus Mum and Dad might want to sneak a piece of two with their late night cuppa or take to work as a snack. I was SO tempted to add chocolate chips to this and I probably will if I make it again becuase I adore muesli bars with chocolate chips in it.
That being said don't be afraid to play around with the add-ins that are in this slice. Swap the cranberries and apricots to dried fruit you have hanging around in the cupboard. If you don't have to abide by nut free rules swap the pepitas and sunflowers seeds with your favourite nuts. It's all about using what you have and making do with what is in the cupboard. If you have a gluten intolerance I would recommend getting gluten-free oats from your local health food shop and subbing the spelt flour with your favourite gluten-free all-purpose flour. To sub eggs in this recipe I would use your favourite egg substitue to hold the slice together. It might be pertinent to add a tad more than the equivelant of the two eggs I have noted here in the recipe to be sure that the muesli bars hold together well.
I have to ask did anyway have a major cleaning frenzy before school started? I literally scrubbed our house from top to bottom and did a major reorganization on my son's room in preparation for the start of school life. This was all 2 days before he was set to start. Talk about last minute cleaning frenzy. I have a great project share with you with his wardrobe revamp and reorganization. I had so much fun doing it that I even videoed the process so I hope to have the video up soon on the project. Is this something you guys would be interested in and would like to see more of? Leave a comment below and let me know.
Chewy Apricot, Cranberry & Coconut Muesli Bar
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
Download & Print RecipeIngredients (12-24 pieces)
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup plain spelt flour
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 cup pepita
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup cranberries
- 1/4 cup apricots, diced
- 1/2 cup rice malt syrup, warmed until runny
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees (fan bake) and line a large 24 x 32cm tray with baking paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl add all of the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
In a small bowl add the rice malt syrup, vanilla, salt, coconut oil and egg and light beat together and pour into the dry ingredients.
Stir to combine the muesli bar ingredients together until coated and thoroughly combined.
Pour the muesli bar mix into the into the lined baking tray and press evenly into the tin with the back of a metal spoon.
Place the muesli bar slice into the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely before cutting into slices.
Cooks NotesStore in an airtight container in the cupboard for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
