This week I was all in for sweet treats with this homemade healthy snack: apricot oat bars!
I was very sensitive to photos on my favorite blogs and then decided to produce the same things, or almost 🙂
The first to catch my attention was a Dearna Bond photograph, on Instagram. By the way, Dearna writes a very good, very beautiful blog called To Her Core. You should visit.
Back to the picture: the subject was savory granola bars. It was made with Dearna’s usual talent, so no wonder I got an instant urge to taste the bars. I got ready to try the recipe, I listed all the missing ingredients and went shopping.
The thing is, the recipe included sun-dried tomatoes. Although I like them and even had great ones in the fridge, my daughter does not enjoy them so much. Actually, not at all! This meant that I would have to eat the whole thing alone and I wasn’t up to it. I had to make changes to the recipe.
After the changes, the bars ended up on the mildly sweet side. Not that I added sugar. But I excluded the main savory ingredients – tamari, buckwheat, sun-dried tomatoes, and rosemary – and added seeds and dried apricots. I also used maple syrup instead of honey, making it vegan in the end.
The result was quite palatable, even though the corners were a bit sandy. My fault, Dearna stressed the need for carefully compacting the dough. Next time will be better.
I got a mix of bars – in the photo – and an almost savory granola that did not make it past the following breakfast, to photo time. Always a good sign.
It’s worth explaining that I followed the standard British “cup” measures and not my usual teacup. I would assume Dearna uses Australian cups, I’m not sure. And I used a loaf pan, that produced this odd shaped bars. They remind me of Japanese temples 🙂
The recipe:
Homemade Oat, Seed, And Apricot Bars
Ingredients
for a standard loaf pan
- 1 cup rolled oats (I used gluten-free oats)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (pepitas)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 70 grams maple syrup
- 20 grams coconut oil
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 8 organic dried apricots, cut into little square pieces
Method
Heat up the oven to 170ºC (340º F).
Line a loaf pan with baking paper.
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix carefully. To make sure the peanut butter will be well spread, you may want to heat it up a bit to make it softer.
Put the dough in the pan and press it thoroughly. It should be well compacted even in the corners, or you risk getting granola instead of bars.
Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, it should look golden, not brown.
Important detail: press the dough again all around the pan, before letting it cool in the pan.
When cold, cut the bars in the size you prefer. I made mine on the narrow side.
Get to know Dearna Bond:
- Her Blog – To her Core
- Instagram – @tohercore
