When my son was much smaller, I wanted a wholesome snack bar I could give him that didn’t contain heaps of sugar or long lists of additives. Unable to find a satisfactory commercial option, I developed my own muesli bar. Over the years the recipe has been refined — my son is now a teenager — but the result remains the same: a naturally sweet, warmly spiced bar with both crunch and chew.

These bars are filling and versatile, perfect for busy mornings, an afternoon pick-me-up, or an evening treat. They’re packed with whole ingredients and can easily include dark chocolate for a little indulgence. The recipe is forgiving: you can swap nuts, seeds, and dried fruit to match what you have on hand.

Below is the method I use in my kitchen. It’s straightforward, quick to assemble, and yields a tray of bars that store well in the fridge or freezer.

Breakfast muesli bar recipe

Equipment: a bakewell pan roughly 37 x 27 x 4 cm (or a similar shallow roasting tray). I line mine with greaseproof baking paper so the baked slab lifts out cleanly.

Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan).

Ingredients

50g pumpkin seeds
50g sunflower seeds
100g hazelnuts

1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger
Half a whole nutmeg, finely grated (or a generous pinch ground)

100g dried cranberries
50g sultanas
50g raisins
1 tea bag
200g boiling water

400g jumbo oats
100g dried apricots, sliced
100g 80% dark chocolate bar, broken into rough pieces (optional)
Rind and juice of 2 oranges
3 eggs, beaten

In short: about 400g oats and roughly 500g combined nuts, seeds and dried fruit. Feel free to adjust proportions to suit taste or pantry supplies.

Method

1. Toast the seeds and nuts: place the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and hazelnuts in a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Stir fairly constantly until everything is evenly browned and fragrant — pumpkin seeds may pop. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Soak the dried fruit: put cranberries, sultanas and raisins in a bowl with the tea bag. Pour over the boiling water so all the fruit is wet and the tea bag can infuse. Leave for around 5 minutes, then remove and discard the tea bag.

3. Mix dry ingredients: in a large bowl combine the oats, spices, sliced apricots, and the cooled toasted seeds and nuts. Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon to distribute everything evenly — doing this before adding wet ingredients makes the process easier.

4. Combine wet and dry: add the soaked fruit with its soaking liquid, the chocolate pieces (if using), orange rind and juice, and the beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly until you have a moist, sticky mixture that holds together when squeezed. The texture should be pliable and slightly gooey.

5. Bake: press the mixture firmly and evenly into your lined pan. Compacting the mix helps the bars hold together once baked. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and set.

6. Cool and cut: remove from the oven and lift the slab from the pan using the baking paper. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before peeling off the paper and cutting into bars. I normally cut this quantity into 24 bars.

Storage: the bars keep for several days in an airtight container. For longer storage, wrap individual bars in greaseproof paper, place them in a bag and freeze. Defrost overnight in the fridge or leave at room temperature for a few hours before eating.

Enjoy experimenting with different nuts, seeds and dried fruit. If you try this recipe, let me know which variations you prefer — the combination possibilities are endless and easily tailored to your tastes.

Recipe requested by a friend who asked for it on social media; I hope it becomes one of your regular go-to snack recipes.