Book Snacks! Homemade Cereal Bars

So recently I've picked up a love of baking. When I can't sit still long enough to read, I find channeling my energy into baking very therapeutic. I've decided to share a few of my favourite recipes here on the blog, because books and food go pretty darn well together!

Today I'm going to share my recipe for homemade cereal bars. This is by far the thing I make the most often. I was looking for a healthier alternative to the shop bought ones which are filled with all kinds of junk. I take these to work to keep me fuelled up, but they're perfect as a mid-morning snack with a cup of tea and a good book!

I adapted the recipe from this one I discovered online (I'll link back to the original one when I can find it again!). I had to make some tweaks to get the ingredients into grams and have also tweaked the amounts and ingredients to my taste.

Ingredients:
150g porridge oats
160g wholemeal flour
150g dried fruit*
3/4 tsp cinnamon
170g honey
50g olive oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Margarine (for greasing)

* I find plump sultanas work best (as opposed to rasisins) as they stay soft, but this part of the recipe can be adapted to whatever you have lying around! I've used chopped up dried apricots which work well too. For a sweet treat you can add glace cherries.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (fan oven).
Grease a 8inch x 8inch square tin.
Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir thoroughly.
Pour mixture into the tin, spread out and press down with the back of the spoon or a spatula.
Bake for 15 minutes approx.
Leave to cool for five minutes then cut into bars or squares.