Beneficial Breakfast Bars

I am a huge fan of museli bars. Whereas some people reach for a comforting bar of chocolate, I am only too happy to settle down with a good museli bar. Today, looking for a more "healthy baking" recipe (if such a thing exists), I made some extremely delicious oat-museli bars. I was inspired by a fellow blogger's recipe for Oat Crunch Cookies but added my own nutritious and delicious ingredients to end up with my "Beneficial Breakfast Bars." I made several alternative bars using the one recipe base, and the benefits of the ingredients are listed accordingly.

Ingredients for Bar Base
150g plain flour (or 150g of wholemeal plain flour)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g rolled oats
120g butter or margarine
90g light brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp water
(+ ingredients of your choice to make the bars eg. dried fruit, nuts, seeds, spices)

Method
Preheat your oven to 170 degrees (fan-forced) and prepare a small slice tray. Sift the flour and bicarbonate soda into a bowl, and then stir in the oats. Make a well in the center. Then, place the butter, sugar, syrup and water in a saucepan and stir until combined and a smooth mixture. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. You now have your museli bar base. Add desired dried fruit, nuts, spices, seeds or bran to make your own museli bar. I did a few of the following: (Once you've chosen and mixed through your ingredients, bake them for around 20 minutes)

1. Pineapple, Coconut and Cashew
Benefits - Cashews contribute to good cardivascular health and they have no cholesterol. They have a high amount of dietary fiber which is beneficial for weight management. Meanwhile, pineapple aids in digestion, whilst coconut is rich in protein, fiber and even increases the metabolic rate.
2. Cinnamon and Sultana
Benefits - Cinnamon has positive effects on lowering cholesterol, boosts cognitive memory and general brain fuction, and is a great source of fiber and calcium. Sultanas help with healthy teeth and gums, and for women in particular they are important as in conjuction with estrogen they help to maintain strong bones.
3. Cranberry, Puffed Spelt and Pumpkin Seed.
Benefits - Cranberries help with urinary difficulties and they also contribute to a healthy heart, along with puffed spelt. Pumpkin seeds protect against prostate cancer and are a natural cure for depression. They are high in calcium and magnesium.
4. Almond and Apricot

Benefits - Almonds lower cholesterol and are high in fiber, protein and calcium. Dried apricots help to relieve constipation, fight fevers and are low in calories.

All of these can be converted from a slice shape to a cookie shape, if desired. The pineapple, coconut and cashew combination was my favourite...how about you?