GRANOLA BARS

BURSTING WITH WHOLESOME INGREDIENTS, THESE HEALTHY GRANOLA BARS ARE PERFECT FOR QUICK BREAKFASTS AND NUTRITIOUS SNACKING ON THE GO.

PHOTOGRAPHS & TEXT: NATASHA LIVIERO / PEXELS

Granola Bars

MAKES 1 X 20CM X 20CM TRAY

INGREDIENTS:

50g almonds, chopped

100g oats

20g psyllium

1g / ¼ tsp salt

1g / 1 tsp cinnamon

15g pumpkin seeds

METHOD:

1. Set oven to 1800C or 1600C fan assist.

15g sunflower seeds

90g almond butter with a little of its oil included (or any nut butter of your choice)

90g honey

45g dates, pitted and finely chopped

50g desiccated coconut (unsweetened)

40g 70% dark chocolate, melted

2. Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper.

3. Place all the ingredients, except chocolate, in a large bowl.

4. Microwave the bowl with ingredients until the honey and almond butter have softened slightly, and then mix with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are well combined.

5. Spoon into prepared baking tin and flatten the surface firmly with the bottom of a measuring cup. Be sure to compact the mixture, which assists with slicing later.

6. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.

7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the baking tin.

8. Once cooled, remove the baked granola with paper from the tin, flatten the baking paper around the granola and drizzle with melted chocolate.

9. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before slicing into bars.

10. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes:

* For an even crispier granola bar, do not drizzle with chocolate and place sliced bars in the oven at around 90°C/100°C to further dry and crisp. The longer they stay in the oven, the crispier they will become.

NATASHA LIVIERO - PASTRY CHEF natashaliviero

Natasha is a pastry chef who is South African by birth and Croatian by blood. She spent many years working for a wellness publication but did an about-turn at the beginning of 2020 when she joined a culinary school to fulfil a lifelong dream to study patisserie. She’s passionate about European patisserie and loves spending time in the kitchen experimenting with recipes (while quibbling with her fe-line friends), and is always on the hunt for interesting new cookbooks.