Homemade Energy Bars

The apricots and maple syrup help glue all the ingredients together, while bringing a lovely sweetness to the bars.

Ingredients

-1 bars+

Metric

Method

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 400°F and line an 18 cm x 18 cm (7” x 7”) square tin with baking paper.

   
2. 2

   Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Spread the oats, pumpkin seeds and almonds evenly across the tray, then roast for 10 minutes.

   
3. 3

   Meanwhile, put the apricots, maple syrup and water into a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Note: if you are struggling to blend the ingredients, add an extra splash of water. The paste should be super smooth, otherwise the bars may not hold together and may crumble. Transfer the apricot mixture to a mixing bowl, along with the buckwheat groats, raisins and cranberries.

   
4. 4

   Remove the baking tray from the oven and transfer the oats, pumpkin seeds and almonds to the mixing bowl, giving everything a good mix. Leave the oven turned on.

   
5. 5

   Put the mixture into the lined tin. Smooth over the top using a piece of baking paper, pushing the mixture down as you go to make sure it’s compact (this will prevent the bars falling apart when you slice them later on). Bake for 20 minutes.

   
6. 6

   Remove the tin from the oven and leave to cool completely. Note: the energy bars may crumble if you try to slice them before they have cooled completely.

   
7. 7

   Take the mixture out of the tin and slice into 10 energy bars.