Dried Fruit and Maple Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Recipies by Mary Taylor & Jamie Omlid-Taylor

Photography | Meghan Rickard

Makes 20 rectangular bars

Once you realize how truly easy and inexpensive making bulk breakfast bars can be, store-bought granola bars will be a way of the past! Do you have a favorite nut or dried fruit? This recipe allows for simple substitutions!

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup almonds (chopped)

3 tbs unsalted butter

⅔ cup honey

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

½ cup dried apricots

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup raisins

½ cup pepita pumpkin seeds

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cookie spray and parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the chopped almonds and old-fashioned oats on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes – turning the mixture halfway through. In a small sauce pan, melt butter, honey, and maple syrup over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil, remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract and salt. Set aside.

When the oat and almond mixture is done toasting, remove from oven and place in medium size mixing bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. As the oven cools, pour the butter and maple syrup mixture over the oat and almond mixture. Stir to combine. Add the dried fruit and pumpkin seeds. Stir to combine well.

Place the mixture into the prepared pan. Press firmly to compact, and spread the mixture evenly throughout the pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the surface is golden brown. Cool for at least 2 hours and cut into bars.

Once the bars have cooled, place the dark chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate chips. Repeat until chocolate has melted and slightly drizzles off the spoon. Drizzle melted chocolate over pre-cut bars and let set until chocolate hardens.