Muesli Slice

I love whipping up a batch of these muesli slice bars for when we need a quick breakfast or snack on the run. They’re so easy and fast to make and much healthier and cheaper than store-bought muesli bars. Even better, you can customise these with whichever seeds, nuts and/or fruit you prefer! They can also be made completely vegan and/or nut-free!

Steps to Make Muesli Slice

It only takes a few very simple steps to make this yummy muesli slice:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F (160 C Fan) and line a square baking tin with baking (parchment) paper. I like to leave the sides hanging above the tray slightly so I can easily lift it out while it’s still hot for easy slicing.
2. If you’re using any nuts (i.e. almonds, cashews or walnuts) or larger dried fruits (i.e. dates or apricots), chop these into smaller, even sized pieces. If you’re only using seeds and smaller dried fruits like cranberries or sultanas you can skip this step.
3. Place all your ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. It doesn’t really matter what order you place them in (though if you measure your oil before you measure your sweetener in the same measuring cup it will help with getting all the stickiness out easily).
4. Pour everything into your baking tin and pack the mix down firmly into the tray.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden.
6. Carefully lift your muesli slice out of the tray with the overhanging baking paper (be careful not to burn yourself on the hot edges of the tray!) and place the slice on a chopping board. Cut into bars with a sharp knife and allow to cool before serving.

How to Prevent Crumbling

I find slicing the muesli while it’s hot and still slightly soft helps a lot in preventing it from falling apart as you cut. I don’t mind a little crumbliness, but if it’s something you really want to avoid, you could try reducing your bake time by 5-10 minutes (but this may change the texture of the slice) or try increasing the amount of sweetener used (which helps to hold the slice together).

Customise Your Muesli Slice

One of the best things about making your own muesli bars is that you can customise the flavour to whatever you and your family enjoy! My favourite combination so far is pepitas (pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds, chopped dates and cranberries (which is what is listed in the recipe below) but feel free to substitute in whatever your prefer! Below are a few suggestions:

• Seeds: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds
• Nuts: chopped almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecans, walnuts
• Dried Fruits: apricots, dates, cranberries, sultanas, raisins, apple
• Other Additions: chocolate chips, desiccated coconut

Simply use the equivalent of 1/2 cup total of nuts/seeds and 1/2 cup total of dried fruit/other additions! For example, you could use 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup chopped almonds, 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 cup sultanas.

Storage

These muesli slice bars can be stored for up to four days in a sealed, airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. They also freeze well, so if you want to make more in advance, just pop them in the freezer and then allow them to defrost overnight in the fridge before popping them into a lunch box for the day!