Fruit and Nut Oat Bars

This recipe makes a small batch of delicious fruit and nut oat bars. They are made with whole oats, dried cranberries and walnuts. They’re delicious and oaty with a chewy texture and are perfect for a quick snack or breakfast on the go.

I love making oat bars as they are super quick and easy to prepare and the different ingredients you can add to them are endless. They stay fresh for a while and are handy for quick snack. I usually make them in the evening to enjoy the following day for breakfast with my morning coffee.

For this recipe, I opted for dried cranberries for the fruit component and to make them nutty, I use chopped walnuts. The dried cranberries give the bars a sticky chewy texture and a delicious fruity flavour which go perfect with the flavour of the walnuts.

If you love oat bars as much as I do then give this quick and yummy recipe a try!

Ingredients for Fruit and Nut Oat Bars

• 120g unsalted butter - weigh out the butter then melt in the microwave. You can also do this in a saucepan on a low heat. 
• 70ml golden syrup – you can also use honey instead. 
• 50g caster sugar - you can use any sugar of choice but I do prefer caster sugar for this recipe. 
• 40g walnuts - finely chopped.
• 40g dried cranberries - finely chopped.
• 200g rolled oats - unprocessed oats.

How to Make Fruit and Nut Oat Bars

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/350^oF/180^oC and line a 20cm (8 inch) square baking tin with parchment paper. Ensure you leave some overhang to make removing the bars easier.

2. To a microwaveable bowl, add the butter and melt in the microwave at 40 second increments until fully melted. Mix in the golden syrup and sugar then mix in the walnuts and dried cranberries. Finally stir in the oats ensuring they are fully coated in the butter then pour the mixture into the baking tin.

3. Using a spatula or palette, spread the mixture and press it into the baking tin. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown. Place the baking tin on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes then lightly score the bars where you want to cut them. Once fully cooled, cut the bars where you scored them and enjoy.

Recipe Tips

• If following a vegan diet, you can use coconut oil instead of butter.
• You can use other nuts such as chopped pecans, hazelnuts or pistachios.
• If you don’t have dried cranberries, you can use chopped raisins.
• Chop the fruit and nuts as fine as you can. If the pieces are too large then the bars won’t hold together well.

Nutrition

Nutrition based on 1 serving - Calories: 154kcal | Fat: 8.9g | Saturates: 4.3g | Carbs: 16.3g | Sugar: 8.5g | Fibre: 1.4g | Protein: 1.8g | Salt: 0.04g.

Storage

Store these oat bars in an airtight container at room temperature. Consume within 6 days.

More Oat Recipes!

• Crunchy 4 Ingredient Oat bars
• Crumbly Apple Crumble Oat Biscuits (Cookies)
• Coconut Oat Biscuits
• Seeded Flapjacks