My fiancé loves cereal bars because it means he can have
breakfast on the way to work, but I’ve found that the choice in the supermarket
is pretty rubbish – they’re either cheap and pathetic, tasting like cardboard
and about the size of a chocolate finger, or they’re fancy and stuffed with chocolate
but really expensive. So I thought I’d have a go at making my own, and actually
it turned out to be fabulously easy, not to mention much better value for
money. It would also be a great lunchbox item, as the cereal's really filling and you can pack the fruit in.
Ingredients
500g granola or other cereal of your choice
200g mixed dried fruit
60g butter
80g honey
80g soft brown sugar
½ tsp salt
A sprinkle of cinnamon
Golden syrup
Makes 9 squares or
12 smaller bars
One of the great things about this recipe is that you can
customise it with your favourite cereal – I found some fabulous strawberry
granola in the supermarket, as well as yummy mixed fruit with cranberries and
apricots, but you could go for cheerios, rice crispies, cornflakes or porridge
oats, as well as any dried fruit, nuts or chocolate you fancy.
Start by measuring out the butter, honey, sugar, salt and
cinnamon into a bowl and microwaving in 30 second blasts, stirring each time,
until you have a smooth golden mixture. Keep going until the sugar has
completely dissolved so that the mixture is no longer grainy.
Next, measure out the cereal and dried fruit in a large
bowl and add the butter and honey mixture, plus a generous dollop of golden
syrup. Mix thoroughly so that the cereal is well-coated.
Grease a square brownie tin and line with greaseproof
paper, and then scrape out the cereal mixture into the tin and press down into
an even layer with a rubber spatula. Drizzle with a little more golden syrup,
then pop it in the fridge and leave for about an hour, or until the mixture is
pretty much solid.
Finally, lift out carefully and cut up with a sharp
knife. I'd suggest wrapping the pieces in tinfoil to make them really easy to grab for breakfast or lunch.
My fiancé loves cereal bars because it means he can have
breakfast on the way to work, but I’ve found that the choice in the supermarket
is pretty rubbish – they’re either cheap and pathetic, tasting like cardboard
and about the size of a chocolate finger, or they’re fancy and stuffed with chocolate
but really expensive. So I thought I’d have a go at making my own, and actually
it turned out to be fabulously easy, not to mention much better value for
money. It would also be a great lunchbox item, as the cereal's really filling and you can pack the fruit in.