Cashew and cinnamon granola bars

A chewy breakfast bar that's easy to grab on the go or to enjoy slowly on a lazy morning with a cup of coffee.

Credit: Sarah Graham's Food Safari

• makes

  20

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• ½ cup dates, soaked in hot water for about 3 minutes
• ½ cup cranberries (preferably without added sugar), soaked along with the dates
• 1 cup roughly chopped nuts (I use almonds and cashews)
• ¼ cup mixed seeds
• 1 cup whole rolled oats
• ½ cup almond flour (otherwise oat or buckwheat flour)
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ¼ cup nut butter or peanut butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• pinch salt
• 1 egg white

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20 cm x 20 cm shallow baking tray.

2. Drain the dates and cranberries and add to a large mixing bowl along with the nuts, seeds, oats and almond flour.

3. Heat the remaining ingredients, except egg white, together in a small saucepan until the coconut oil has melted, mix well and then add to the mixing bowl. Stir, add in the egg white and mix again until everything is well combined and then transfer to your baking dish, leveling it out using the back of a spoon.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and fragrant. Remove, allow to cool for a few minutes, cut into squares and then transfer to a cooling rack. Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Extras can be frozen for up to two months.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.