Coconut Granola Bars

It’s hard to stop at one piece of this fruit-packed nutty bar. Make sure you press the mixture very firmly into the tin otherwise it will fall apart when cut.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups rolled oats
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup whole, skin-on roasted almonds, roughly chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chopped dried dates
½ cup chopped dried apricots
½ cup chopped dark chocolate, optional
zest 1 orange
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
²/₃ cup honey
¼ cup coconut oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

24 cm x 24 cm baking tin

METHOD

Grease and fully line the baking tin with baking paper, bringing the paper up the sides of the tin.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Put the oats, the pumpkin and the sunflower seeds on a large baking tray and bake for 5-6 minutes, turning once. Add the coconut and cook for another 5 minutes until everything is toasted.

Tip into a large bowl and add the almonds, cranberries, dates, apricots, chocolate, orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger and toss together.

Reduce the oven to 150˚C.

Put the honey, coconut oil, salt and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Immediately tip onto the dry mixture and stir well until everything is well coated in the honey mixture.

Tip the mixture into the tin and press down firmly so it is well compacted. Place a piece of baking paper over the top then press with your knuckles if you’re finding it sticky.

Bake for 20–25 minutes until the top is golden. The mixture will be soft but firms up when cool. Leave in the tin to cool completely. Cut into fingers and store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Cook’s tip: If you think the bars might fall apart while cutting, place the tin in the refrigerator for a couple of hours – once it’s cooled from baking – and this will ‘glue’ the mixture
firmly together.