I know some people are turned off by the process of cookie making. All that dough mixing and chilling and rolling and cutting before you get to enjoy the delicious aroma of freshly baked cookies in your kitchen.  Taste aside, dropping a packet (or two) of commercially prepared cookies into your shopping trolley is indeed much easier.

But when it comes to homemade muesli bars, these nut-free versions are so extraordinarily simple, I cannot imagine ever being tempted to purchase these pre-packaged.

In 5-10 minutes, everything is done and the mixture is in the oven.  And the best part?  (Well, apart from the fact these cost me less than a third of what pre-packaged would cost – see after recipe.)  You can vary the ingredients to include all your own favourites.  Very versatile.

Baby Mélanger will not be snacking on these for a couple of years (not recommended under 2-3 years of age), but these have already been a lifesaver snack for me when I have been on the run all day.

If you make this recipe, please let me know how you go!

{ Homemade nut-free muesli bars } Original recipe by Julia @ Mélanger

After three muesli bar trials, this recipe version was my favourite.  Lightly crunchy, these muesli bars are a snap to make, and stay fresh and crisp for up to 2 weeks in an air-tight container.  Feel free to adapt the combination of seeds and fruit to your own preferences, and include nuts if nut-free is not an issue.

* Ingredients *
120g oats
20g wheatgerm
30g plain flour
75g mixed seeds (I used equal portions of sesame, sunflower and linseed)
100g mixed dried fruit (I used equal portions of apple, cranberry, sultana and coconut)
40g tahini
30g sugar
80g malt syrup (you could use glucose, honey or golden syrup if you prefer)
40g vegetable oil

* Directions *
Preheat the oven to 170C.  Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin.  In a large bowl, mix together the oats, wheatgerm, flour, seeds and dried fruit.  In a small saucepan, place the tahini, sugar, malt syrup and vegetable oil.  Heat the tahini mix until combined and the sugar has melted.  Pour into your dry mixture, and with a wooden spoon, mix until well combined.  If your mixture does not look like it is coming together easily, with a slightly wet hand, mix together like you were combining a meatball mixture.  Place the mixture into the tin and with an offset spatula, flatten down so it is compressed and even.  Bake for around 20-25 minutes.  Transfer the tin to a cooling rack to slightly cool.  After a few minutes, oil a metal bench scraper, and like you would with shortbread, cut the muesli bar into pieces while it is still warm.  (I find the bench scraper is easier to use over a knife, but feel free to use a knife.)  Re-do the ‘cuts’ if necessary after 3-5 minutes to make sure they have all been scored thoroughly.   Allow to cool before removing from the tin.  When you remove from the tin, the pieces should come apart easily.  Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 12 bars (about 40-45g per piece)

A bit of a disclaimer — these are the results from my experiment only. Costs will obviously differ depending on your local grocery prices and the brands you select.  Time will depend on how quickly you work in the kitchen!