Healthier Treats – Granola Bars

I am a little obsessed about feeding my children healthy food… of course cookies regularly sneak into our baking, how can they not?! But if we can bake AND Make it tasty.. then why not? Enter the humble granola bar – packed full of goodness and not “just” sugar. This was a staple for me during my pregnancies (lots of iron and extra vitamins through the additions of a variety of seeds and dried fruit) and now this is great for the kids  – a perfect lunchpack addition or for after tennis lessons.

Healty(er) Valentine's Treat - heart granola bar for your lunchbox

As Valentine’s is around the corner, I thought some little hearts would be great. If you cut them whilst still warm, you can still “mould” the remaining cut outs back together to make “patties”. Or let them cool, like some cereal and eat it loose (I do hate waste).

Ingredients:

  •  175g unsalted butter
  • 140g clear honey
  • 250g demerara sugar
  • 350g porridge oats (plain)
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon

A combination of

  • 85g walnuts
  • 85g raisins
  • 85g dried apricots chopped
  • 85g dried cranberries or other dried fruit
  • 85g pumpkin seeds
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 50g sesame seeds

I have also thrown in linseeds and dried apples in the past or whatever I had “in”.

+ a Heart Cookie Cutter

A tray for baking

Pre heat oven at 190C

Method:

1) Melt the butter, honey, and sugar in a big pan. Once dissolved, let simmer for 2min

2) Mix all the remaining ingredients together in a big bowl.

3) Then stir the dry ingredients into the hot butter/ sugar solution and mix well.

4) Tip into pan and flatten with a woodden sppon.

5) Bake in oven for 15-20min.

Granola Bars

6) Take out of the oven. Let cool a little. Use cookie cutter to cut hearts whilst still warm. Let cool fully on rack.

Done. Surprise your loved ones, by popping one of these in their snack box!

Need more Lunch Box ideas? Check out this hugely popular post:

lunch box ideas

 


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