High Protein & High Fibre Muesli Bars

One of these muesli bars (70g) has approximately 8 grams of protein, 5 grams of fibre and 35g of carbs. This is a great bulk-prep-snack recipe to prep for the whole week. I even double the recipe sometimes to make 2 lots to last even longer. This recipe is a great one to get the children involved in as a cooking activity with a yummy healthy treat to enjoy at the end.

ingredients and tools you’ll need

equipment

• 1 Large mixing bowl
• 1 Large pot
• 1 Rubber spatula
• 1 Rectangle baking dish (approx. 30x20cm)
• Baking paper

ingredients

Muesli Ingredients

• 350 g Rolled oats
• 320 g Sultanas or dried cranberries
• 50 g Desiccated coconut
• 160 g Slivered almonds
• 80 g Pepitas
• 35 g White sesame seeds
• 2 pinch Salt
• 1 tbsp Cinnamon
• 200 g Chocolate chips. To make this recipe gluten and dairy free, use gluten and diary free chocolate chips, or simply leave these out, the muesli bars will still be delicious!

Caramel glue ingredients

• 240 g Mayver’s Smooth Peanut Butter. You can of course use any type of peanut butter, I like Mayver’s as it’s 99.3% peanuts & sea salt, nothing else! If you’re wanting to keep this recipe gluten and dairy free, just ensure the peanut butter you use is GF and DF.
• 350 g Honey

how to make High Protein & High Fibre Muesli Bars

Before we get started, there are a few customisation options you can choose from:

Muesli ingredient options

This is a highly customisable recipe. You can add any dried fruits and nuts you have hand, even chopped dates and puffed rice! Feel free to get creative and change it up each time.

chocolate chip options

When it comes to the chocolate chips, you have a few options to choose from:

• Option 1: Add the chocolate chips in with the rest of the muesli ingredients in step one. The chocolate chips will melt when the mix is added into the pot which is actually my favourite option as it creates a delicious flavour.
• Option 2: Keep the chocolate chips aside and mix them in after step 3. This way some may still melt, but you’ll have whole choc chips though out the muesli bars as well.
• Option 3: With any option, you can also keep a portion of the chocolate chips aside to press into the top of the mixture after step 4.
• Option 4: Or! Keep a portion or all of the chocolate chips aside, melt in a pan over low heat and pour over the top of the mixture after step 4.
• Option 5: Finally, the most decadent option… have enough chocolate chips to do all the above!

step one: combine all the muesli ingredients together

In a large mixing bowl on top of scales, add all the muesli ingredients and mix them together. Put aside.

step two: cook peanut butter and honey over medium heat, stir

Add the peanut butter and honey to a large pot and pop it on the stove on a medium heat. CONTINUOUSLY mix with a rubber spatula, do not walk away! Regularly scrape the bottom until it’s thick like a caramel. It’s ready when you can draw a path across the base and it holds before closing in on itself.

step three: mix the muesli mixture in with the caramel glue

Turn the stove off, but keep the pot on the warm element. Pour the muesli mix into the pot and mix until well combined, it may require some elbow grease. By keeping the pot on the turned off element, it will help keep the mixture warm making it easier to mix.

step four: firmly press mixture into the lined oven dish

Line a large oven dish (approx. 30x20cm) with baking paper. Pour the mixture in and spread it into the corners using your hands and/or the back of a metal spoon. Firmly press down.

step five: cover with cling wrap, refrigerate for 2 hours, then cut into bars

Cover the oven dish with your preferred covering (ie glad wrap, beeswax wrap, another dish…) and pop it in the fridge for 2 hours to set until firm, then cut into bars. I like to cut mine in 3 columns and 8 rows to make 24 bars. For larger more traditional sized bars, cut in 2 columns and 8 rows for 12 bars like I did in the photo.

homemade High Protein & High Fibre Muesli Bars storage instructions

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If you find they are too hard and chewy, leave them on the bench to come to room temperature before eating.

questions & troubleshooting

can you use other nut butters instead of peanut butter?

Absolutely! I’ve made this recipe using almond butter which turned out great. Feel free to experiment with other nut butters and let me know how they turn out in the comments.

how can I increase the protein?

I haven’t tried this yet, but you could experiment and add some protein powder to the caramel glue. You could even try adding dehydrated black beans to the muesli mix which would also increase the fibre content. I’ll update this page once I give these a try.

printable recipe