Breakfast Bars

Photo from Whole Living 

we ate all of ours before I could get a picture!

Good Morning, I hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was very busy which is why today's recipe is particularly timely, I could certainly use the energy boost this morning. I don't know about you, but I love a good granola bar. They really are the perfect combination of wholesome and satisfying. None of the guilt that a cup cake or muffin leaves you with and a whole lot more fulfilling than a plate full of veggie sticks! However store bought varieties, despite their healthy claims, still have a few ingredients that would be better left out. I have spent years trying to find the perfect granola recipe that is quick and easy to make, doesn't fall apart once cooked and has that ideal balance of chewy yet crunchy.

Hooray then for these breakfast bars from Whole Living. These have been my go to bars for post workout energy replacement and in my effort to build a better breakfast are now making an appearance earlier in my day. After a bowl of yoghurt and fruit these bars rounded off breakfast perfectly this morning.

Recipe

Breakfast Bars by Whole Living

1 tbsp walnut oil, plus more for pan
1 1/4 cups spelt flakes
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup sprouted or ground flaxseed
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 tbsp coarsely chopped pistachios
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F (160C). Brush an 8 by 8 inch baking pan with oil. Line bottom and two sides with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each side. Brush paper with oil. In a bowl, combine spelt, cherries, flaxseeds, pecans, pistachios and salt. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine honey, peanut butter, oil and vanilla. Cook over medium until melted. Add to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to prepared pan: smooth top. Bake until golden and edges pull away from the sides of pan, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift bars out of pan. On a cutting board, cut into 8 pieces using a serrated knife. Store in an airtight container, separating pieces with wax or parchment paper, for one week.

I absolutely encourage you to use whatever combination of nuts and fruit you like, feel free to throw in a few seeds too, although careful not to add to many or your bars will fall apart. Also, I tend to use Agave syrup rather than honey when I bake so substitute there too if you want. And of course any nut butter will work wonderfully too. What I will say though is try to use spelt flakes. For one, spelt is a lot kinder to your tummy than oats and it's the spelt that gives these bars just the right kind of chewy. If you don't have spelt or don't want to use it, oats will work just fine.