Cinnamon and coconut sugar muesli bars

Allyson Gofton

I’m not a fan of ingredient-laden muesli bars, and the problem with using prepared muesli is that every brand can vary – toasted or untoasted, plain or honey-coated clusters, nuts or nut-free, gluten-free even. This recipe requires a basic toasted muesli and the one I use is the cheap and cheerful Hubbard’s Simply toasted range. Look for similar styles.

Ingredients

650 g	Toasted muesli (Main)
100 g	Dried cranberries, or chopped dried apricots (about ¾ cup)
250 g	Coconut sugar (Main)
250 g	Butter
¼ cup	Honey
1 tsp	Vanilla
1 tsp	Ground cinnamon (Main)
1 tsp	Ground mixed spice

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Line a 20cm x 30cm spongeroll slice tin with baking paper. Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Into a large bowl stir together the muesli, dried fruit and coconut sugar.
3. In a saucepan over a low heat, melt together the butter and honey with the vanilla, cinnamon and mixed spice. Once the butter has melted, pour into the dry ingredients and stir well to make sure the butter mix is thoroughly blended through the dry ingredients.
4. Turn into the prepared tin and press down firmly. Ideally roll a smooth, straight-sided glass over the top of the muesli to do this.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the slice has begun to brown well around the edges and the whole mixture can be seen bubbling when you look through the oven door.
6. Remove the slice from the oven and place on a wooden or heatproof board. Place a piece of baking paper on top and sit a second slice tin on top. Half fill this tin with water (make sure it does not leak) to make an even weight, pressing down on top of the slice, and leave until cold. If you do not have a second slice tin, use a magazine or something of similar size. Weighting the slice will ensure it is deliciously firm and easy to cut into pieces. Keep in an airtight container to ensure the muesli slices do not absorb moisture from the air, causing the pieces to become moist and crumbly.

Pantry notes

For this recipe, muesli is taken to be a toasted product that is mainly oats, with the addition of a few nuts and dried fruit including coconut and a few seeds. Muesli toasted into clusters is not suitable here.