The Perfect Healthy Granola Bar

Well now that is a statement isn't it? I've been searching, for so long for the perfect granola bar. I've suffered through batches of bars that just won't stick together (but thankfully do make good granola), and the ones that do stick are annoyingly the ones that are bursting with sugar and golden syrup. This just won't do. Granola bars are supposed to be breakfast food, and whilst I'm not pretending that I haven't passed a chocolate brownie off as breakfast, for a regular breakfast it isn't sustainable to eat sugar laden granola bars.

So what is the secret to a healthy sugar-free granola bar that will stick? An egg white.

What goes into your granola bar can be fairly flexible and a combination of coconut oil and honey plus that important egg white will ensure they stay together, and are robust enough to be wrapped up and chucked in your handbag for breakfast on the go (which is why I need them). Plus that egg will give you a little more protein to start the day.

Granola Bars
Makes 6 chunky granola bars, bake in a square brownie tin.

190g porridge oats
40g of desiccated coconut or coconut flakes
pinch of sea salt
70ml of coconut oil (melted) or groundnut or sunflower oil
60g of honey
70g of dried fruit
60g nuts, chopped if they are large
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 egg white

Optional but nice:
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Variations / Additions
Swap the coconut flakes for sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon of peanut butter encourages sticking together, and tastes pretty great
grated orange or lemon zest
dark chocolate chips in place of nuts (I won't tell if you don't)
Replace half the honey for maple syrup

Preheat your oven to gas mark 3 / 160c electric

Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl, except for the egg white. Mix with a large wooden spoon, or if using a stand mixer (I've just bought a very shiny new Kitchenaid!) mix on a slow speed with the paddle for 2 minutes. Add in the egg white and briefly mix to combine, mix for 10 seconds in the mixer.

Transfer to your tin, lined with greased proof paper. Press down with a spatula, so that it is all tightly packed together and evenly in the tin. Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until it is golden on top.

An important bit for when it comes out of the oven - whilst still in the tin, cut the bars into pieces. Don't worry if they crumble a bit whilst they are warm.

After you've got the bars into slices just smoosh any crumbly bits down again. As they cool the bars will continue to stick together. Leave to cool completely then your bars are ready to be set free from the tin.

They'll keep for about a week in an airtight container. It makes me all kinds of happy that I can whip these up on a Sunday evening and know that breakfast is sorted for 5 days.

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Date & Coconut Granola and not always getting it right...

So I'll be straight with you, this Date & Coconut Granola didn't really go to plan, I was going to pretend it didn't happen and make it again and blog my efforts that time. But for two reasons I decided to blog it - 1) it is important to have some balance and remind you and myself that not all my recipes turn out perfect 2) when will I ever get around to making this recipe again, just for perfection's sake?

The recipe is fine and would have turned out fine had I not baked the dates and raisins in the oven with the oats and coconut. The raisins bloated and then burnt and the chopped dates caramelised and turned so tough they could break your teeth - not something you want in the morning, or ever. If I liked bircher muesli this granola would be much better soaked in milk to soften the jawbreaker dates.

So, stir the fruit in when the granola comes out of the oven and then put it in your jar - and you'll have much better granola than me. For now, I am picking the dates out of it and making do with some charred raisins.

Looking back on my blog, my granola has always been a bit haphazard, the last time I made granola bars but they crumbled so they ended up as granola!

Date & Toasted Coconut Granola
makes approx 700g

230g porridge oats
150g of dates and raisins or other dried fruit
150g coconut flakes
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil (or melted butter if you aren't being healthy)
1 tbsp of maple syrup
2 tbsp of mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame) - optional but nice

Preheat your oven to 110 degrees (Fan/Electric) or gas mark 3.
Mix the oats and coconut flakes (and seeds if using) in a large bowl.
Heat the honey, oil and maple syrup together in a small pan til a syrup and well combined, do not boil.
Pour over the oats and coconut mix and combine well - you can use a wooden spoon but you might have to get in with your hands to make sure everything is coated.
Spread the mix out over baking trays, you'll probably need two.
Put in the centre shelf of the oven for 1 hour, and take out every 15 minutes and stir, to ensure even toasting.
Important bit: When the granola is nicely toasted leave to cool a little and then sprinkle over your fruit.
Put into an airtight jar or container.

Eat with milk or yoghurt and extra fruit. It is also nice with a dollop of jam!

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Foodie Snippets This Week - mac & cheese, free Yorkshire tea and fame at last!

A new feature that I hope to keep up on my blog, I instagram a lot (too much) and there are lots of little foodie goings on that happen during the week that don't make it here, so here are snippets from my week!

Saturday started off with meeting up with some lovely local bloggers for #WritingWithTea at Greens Coffee in Cambourne. We did a lot of chatting and catching up but not so much writing in the end, but it was great to meet some new people and also catch up with some old friends. This cinnamon cappuccino was so warming and perfect for a snow day. 

Mac and cheese. Sometimes you need cheese and pasta. Not to bang on about the weather but when is it going to get warmer? I haven't been warm for quite some time, and I can't carry on eating so much cheese! This was dinner and then leftovers for lunch, and I added a bit of chilli for even more comfort on a cold day.

Vanilla porridge with some homemade granola (blog coming soon), local honey and a banana. Getting back to eating healthier, and I needed some central heating (anyone else remember those ReadyBrek ads?)

Waitrose now sell Burrata! This is my first time trying Burrata, and whilst it would be great to get it from a proper cheesemonger this Waitrose version was really nice. We had it with fresh bread and really good olive oil. The next day we used up the leftovers to have alongside an aubergine parmigiana.

It's nearly my birthday! Yorkshire Tea sent me a birthday card and a free sample of Yorkshire Gold - a lovely thing to get in the post, and from a professional point of view - awesome marketing! I'll be enjoying a cup of this with my birthday breakfast on Tuesday.

And last but not least, I am in a magazine! I was interviewed for Cambridgeshire Journal back in November and their lovely photographer visited me before Christmas to take pictures of me, my beads and my studio. Although I am always mortified to see my face on anything, I'm really pleased about the interview and I think it is a bit great. You can read the interview here and if you're local you'll find the journal in lots of spots around town.

Next week it is my birthday and also Eat Cambridge - Cambridge's first food festival. On my birthday we are visiting the legendary Fortnum and Mason's for tea and pastries and then on to the more recently legendary Duck & Waffle for dinner, I cannot wait. I'll also be enjoying a Pie & Mash Night at 12a Club next week (as part of Eat Cambridge) along with the the Eat Cambridge Food Market on the 9th, plus we are also hosting a cake club on the 9th too - big week for food! 

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Cooking - Healthy Baking - Granola Bars

This recipe has been sitting in my favourites folder for quite a few months, it looked fantastic but always got passed up in favour of pecan pie, sticky toffee pudding or some fluffy marshmallows. Because really, when it comes to it, these things generally win over an oaty bar.

In an effort to be healthier and because I've been chewing on ridiculously overpriced cereal bars recently I thought I'd finally give my own granola bars a go.

This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, once again, as many of my recipes are.

I used half and half honey and golden syrup (whereas the recipe only used honey) because I only had a teeny jar of honey. The fruit I used was a bag of mixed fruit - raisins, currants and candied orange, and some jewel like dried cranberries.


The recipe suggested extra sugar if you want a sweet bar or melted butter. I didn't include either but I think I'll include a bit more honey next time and I think the butter would help them stick a bit better. Mine were a bit crumbly!

These are lovely crunchy bars and the fruit gives just enough sweetness. I had a bit of a disaster when cutting them up so I was left with actual granola/muesli which I had for breakfast the next day - it makes great cereal too!

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