We all like to snack once in a while. Ah screw this, we all love to gorge on unhealthy and delicious biscuits, cookies, crisps and whatever else you fancy. And that’s fine as long as you don’t stuff your face every day. After all who would like to go through life without enjoying a sweet treat now and then? Life is tough enough! But there are ways to indulge in delightful sweet flavour without doing too much damage to your waistline. If that sounds like something you like the sound of, wait until you hear about our delicious, homemade and healthy granola bars.
We used to have an obsession with shop-bought granola bars full of fibre. But with the cost of living crisis raging, who has £2 to spend per individual bar? Definitely not us! And that’s where the idea behind our granola bars came from. We love them and so will you. So why not give them a go. What have you got to lose?
Our recipe makes 12 bars and we spent less than £5 on all the ingredients. If you were to buy 12 bars in a shop it would cost you a whopping £24. That’s a saving of almost £20. All you will need is a bag of hazelnuts or nuts of your choice, 200g of oats, some honey and butter and a bar of dark chocolate.
The bars are incredibly quick and easy to make and can be wrapped individually in cling film and stored for up to two weeks. You might even be able to keep them for longer, but you definitely won’t need to. The bars provide a hefty amount of energy and the dosage of protein stored in hazelnuts adds to your daily nutrition. But don’t take our word for it, try it out yourself!
Ingredients (makes 12 bars):
200g of oats
3tbsp of honey
120g of hazelnuts
50g of butter
100g of dark chocolate
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160C. Roughly chop the hazelnuts and add to an ovenproof dish lined with baking parchment along with the oats and mix. Toast in the oven for 10 minutes.
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and honey together.
Remove the oats from the oven and add the butter mixture. Stir well until the oats and nuts are evenly coated.
With a spoon, flatten the mixture into the tin, making it as compact as possible. Return to the oven for 20 minutes or until just turning golden.
Melt the chocolate. Evenly spread over the cooked granola, making sure to reach every edge. Set aside to cool and transfer to the fridge once cold.
When the chocolate has hardened, cut the bars into 12 even slices. Wrap each bar in clingfilm and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Here is a breakdown of calories (calories may vary based on ingredients used):
200g of oats – 778 calories, 33g protein, 21g fibre
3tbsp of honey – 192 calories
120g of hazelnuts – 754 calories, 18g protein, 12g fibre
50g of butter – 359 calories
100g of dark chocolate – 604 calories
Calories per bar: 223 calories