For me, an oaty energy bar has to be chewy, not too dry or crumbly, be packed with flavour and texture and have the right balance of nuts or seeds with dried fruit – it’s sometimes a tough ratio to crack! With the addition of some cheeky chocolate chunks and a drizzle on top, these energy boosting bars really hit the spot. Adding quinoa really lifts the nutty flavour and adds more crunch, while juicy dried apricots (using Whitworths brand new recycled packaging!) make a nice change to standard raisins or dates.
Swap out the pumpkin seeds with other seeds or nuts, include a mixture of dried fruit, or use white chocolate in place of dark – there are so many options to make them customisable for YOU!
Ingredients:
- 150g oats (I used Mornflake)
- 50g quinoa
- 10g chia seeds (I used The Chia Co)
- 50g pumpkin seeds (I used Whitworths)
- 75g dried apricots, chopped (Whitworths)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or ginger
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (I used The Groovy Food Company)
- 100g nut butter of choice (I used Pic’s)
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 50g dark chocolate, chopped (I used OhSo dark chocolate)
Get making!
- Preheat the oven to 170C and grease and line a 9x9in baking tin.
- Place the oats, pumpkin seeds, dried apricots and cinnamon or ginger in a bowl. Lightly toast the quinoa and chia seeds in a nonstick pan for a few minutes then add to the bowl.
- Gently melt the coconut oil, nut butter and maple syrup then set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Pour into the bowl along with the chopped chocolate and mix well until combined.
- Tip into the tin and spread out evenly. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden, leave to cool for 10 minutes then cut into pieces and leave to cool in the tin completely.
- Drizzle with a little melted dark chocolate – then enjoy!
