Berry Peanut Butter Muesli Bars

If you need another recipe to show those blackening and squidgy bananas some love, then this one is for you. I can never walk past these lonely fruits, knowing they will probably end up in the bin just breaks my heart. The ripest ones are the sweetest after all and make for the best bakes, like you’ll find with my Ultimate Banana Bread.

I fancied baking something a bit different with my bananas and have been toying around with the idea of breakfast muesli bars for a while. So, one afternoon when my teeth were giving me quite a lot of pain, I decided to distract myself by baking. Or procrasti-baking, anyone else suffer with this?

Berry Peanut Butter Muesli Bars

These Berry Peanut Butter Muesli bars were the beautiful result, and then I also had so much fun photographing them. It makes them all the more delicious.

The ingredients are all fairly simple and ones you’ll probably have to hand. The berry part of these bars come from my favourite berry mix muesli but feel free to substitute your favourite muesli like a super nutty one, or a cacao and coconut one would be amazing. I added some coconut flakes for texture, and because I LOVE coconut flakes. And then obviously peanut butter, because berry muesli plus peanut butter is basically PB&J and that’s an ultimate combination.

The mix is quite dry before it goes into the oven and it needs to be pressed down firmly to allow for neat bars that hold their shape once cool – if you can wait that long. They are slightly crunchy on the outside but moist on the inside thanks to the banana.

They are the perfect sweetness making them a great breakfast option or as an afternoon pick me up with a cup of tea. I have been enjoying my Berry Peanut Butter Muesli Bars smothered in a layer of peanut butter – and my dad quickly followed suit. Or, even make a PB&J sandwich using the bars as the ‘bread’ – that would be EPIC.

Berry Peanut Butter Muesli Bars

Berry Peanut Butter Muesli Bars
Makes 12

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
300g berry mix muesli (or your favourite muesli blend)
30g coconut flakes
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp coconut syrup
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp runny crunchy peanut butter

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170Fan/190*C and line a baking tray with parchment paper (mine is 30x18cm).

2. Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add the muesli, coconut flakes and cinnamon to the bowl and stir well.

4. Add the coconut syrup, melted coconut oil and runny crunchy peanut butter and give the muesli mix a good stir to evenly coat everything. The mix shouldn’t be too wet, if it is, add a couple more tbsp of muesli.

5. Pour into the lined baking tray and flatten down well with the back of a spoon or spatula to ensure the tops are even and the bars are compact.

6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, the bars will be golden and firm to the touch.

7. Remove from the oven, allow to cool on a wire rack and then slice into 12 bars once fully cooled. Store in an airtight container for 3 days (or in the fridge if it is very hot). These bars will also freeze well if individually wrapped.

Berry Peanut Butter Muesli Bars

Have you made these Berry Peanut Butter Muesli Bars? I would love to hear what you think so please do leave a comment below and tag me in your wonderful creations – I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy.