Muesli is one of my all-time favorite cereal substitutes. In fact, I don’t think we’ve bought boxed cereal in at least a year. Instead, we usually put a combination of rolled oats, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds together in a bowl – and enjoy it with some ice cold almond milk. So much better than sugary cereal in my opinion! And why not turn my favorite breakfast “cereal” into another delicious breakfast treat?
Morning Muesli Bars (click for printable recipe!)
(adapted from Elena’s Pantry)
Ingredients: (makes 16 squares)
- 1 cup almond meal (or flour)
- 1 cup rolled oats (use GF oats to make this gluten-free!)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup pepitas
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp ground flax
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions: I spotted this almond meal on the shelves at Trader Joe’s last week, and wondered if it was the gluten-free replacement for peanut flour that they had claimed to be developing. Even though I am still mourning my PB flour, the almond meal is a welcome addition to the lineup.
And nothing makes baking more fun than new cupcake-patterned measuring spoons! A birthday gift from my little sis that makes me smile each time I use them.
To get started, combine 1 cup each almond meal and rolled oats, along with 1/2 tsp each baking soda and kosher salt. Mix to combine.
Add mix-ins to make your favorite version of muesli. I used dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, pepitas, ground flax, and chia seeds. Make sure to chop any large nuts or fruit down to small bite sized pieces – otherwise the bars will be difficult to cut at the end!
In a small separate bowl, combine 1 large egg, 2 tbsp honey, and 2 tbsp almond milk. Whisk to combine! Usually I don’t use eggs in baking, but I really wanted these to hold together well, so I broke my rule for these.
Add wet mixture to the dry mixture, and mix thoroughly.
Spread into an 8×8 non-stick baking dish and press down HARD to pack it all in tight. Packing the mixture down is key to getting it all to hold together well.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, and remove from oven. Now for the hard part – wait for the bars to cool completely. If you take them out right away, they will fall apart into bits and pieces (trust me). But if you wait for them to cool down, they will harden together quite nicely. Once cooled, use a sharp knife to slice evenly into 16 squares.
What I love about these bars is that they aren’t too sweet. The flavor is savory, almost like a scone – with just enough sweetness from the dried fruit and touch of honey.
Perfect for breakfast on the go, an afternoon snack, or healthy fuel before a workout!
At just 110 calories per piece, they are packed with nutrition, without leaving you feeling heavy or weighed down. Just in case I needed a second opinion, Casey went ahead and ate seven of these last night. :)
Enjoy!
65 Comments so far
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I’ve been looking to make a healthy bar and I think I found the one!! These look so delicious.
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those measuring spoons are ADORABLE!! LOVE them
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I am with you on making cereal/granola at home. This is why my B12 fell too low and I have been sick for a month. Yes, I know there are supplements, but I forgot that I wasn’t getting my Bs from my cereal anymore. So, I always put egg in my granola/granola bars. These look perfect Emily!
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I love the spoons! They are too cute :) I just have plastic boring ones, haha. I discovered Muesli last year when I accidentally bought it at a grocery store (I thought it was something else at the time!) and have loved it since! It keeps me full much longer than regular cereal would. Great post!
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Can’t wait to try these! I made your three-grain energy bars last week and loved having them in my lunch at work all week — SO great to eat a healthy snack that didn’t come out of some kind of wrapper and box combination. I was going to make them again this week but I think I’ll try these instead since I love muesli too.
When I made the energy bars, I couldn’t find millet anywhere so I took it upon myself to sub in rolled oats as the third grain. NOT my best decision ever! I ended up with something that was more like a bread pudding substance. I ate it for desert all week but it was really, um, unattractive. I learned my lesson and will follow your directions more carefully this time. :)
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 8:14 am
Glad the bars were good, even if they were goopy. :) Rolled oats are much softer – I can see how that would have happened.
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I just made some similar bars that completely fell apart. Thanks for the tip that they need to cool completely! Wish you would have posted this a few days sooner. :-) Ah, well, the crumbly bars still taste delicious.
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The only thing I could think of after you gave the caloric stats was how much Casey ate with these bars! Yowza! Guess he needed it for his 20 miler on the treadmill today! :) How much boys eat amazes me.
These look really good. I love muesli. I am always throwing some random nuts/dried fruits/oats in a bowl and calling it “cereal”.
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 8:13 am
He definitely burned them all off. Twenty miles on the treadmill is no joke!
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cute measuring spoons. :)
i want to start eating healthier snacks and these bars look like they fit the bill!
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Neat, I’ve never heard of using egg in granola bars, but I guess it makes sense as a strong binder. These look great and I have everything I need to make them!
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Another amazing recipe! But I don’t think I have the patience to wait for them to cool. That’s my vice when making brownies. ;-)
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These looks delish! Im sure they’d taste amazin crumbled over banana soft serve. Im looking forward to using all types of mix-ins for these!
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Ahh I love Elana’s Pantry! These looks great–chia seeds are my new favorite granola bar ingredient.
I just spotted PB flour at the Reston TJ’s (if you ever venture out there).
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I tried to make muesli bars before but they turned out NOTHING like these.
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Mmmm I can’t wait to try these- great for on the go!
Have you tried the orange flavored dried cranberries from Trader Joe’s? They add a great flavor to my oats :)
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 8:12 am
That is actually exactly what I used! They are my new love. I buy like 5 bags at a time.
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These sound so good! I haven’t had bars in a long time since I’m trying to cut some packaged stuff out of my diet. Can’t wait to make these.
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These look fantastic! Would have been perfect when I was looking for a bar recipe a few months ago, but better late than never:) Thanks!
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 8:12 am
Sorry I’m late! :)
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This looks yummy! Bars like these are perfect for at work, not too sweet but they satisfy the craving!
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Emily the bars look wonderful!
And I am in serious spoon envy over your cupcake-patterned measuring spoons…TOO CUTE! :)
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These look great, adding to my list of things to make. I too am mourning the loss of TJs peanut flour :(
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I’ve got to try this, I LOVE Muesli!!
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Those measuring spoons are so cute!
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I really wanted to make this until I saw the egg. We don’t eat them so can you think of a substitution? Maybe almond butter?
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 8:11 am
I would just make a flax egg – 3 tbsp flax to 1 tbsp water. Maybe up the honey just a bit to help hold it together a little more.
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 9:13 am
Sorry – Monday morning brain. I meant 1 tbsp flax to 3 tbsp water!
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I would be interested in how to make these without eggs also. Any suggestions?
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Karen Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 8:07 am
I third this request for an egg-free option. These look devine! Thanks, Emily!
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 8:10 am
Sorry guys – I had no idea there were so many of you that are egg-free! I would just use a flax-egg – 1 tbsp flax to 3 tbsp water.
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 8:10 am
I would just try a flax egg!
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Those measuring spoons are awesome!
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These look deeeelicious!! Love that you used almond meal. I need to make some at home b/c TJ’s is the only place that sells it cheaply! I WANT those measuring spoons!! :)
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Nice!! I might be doing a 45km trek called Frostbite 45 in Yellowknife at the end of the month. These bars would be GREAT to bring along on the trek
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 8:10 am
Sounds intense!
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These look superfab! Side note: The word pepita aggravates me for some reason. Saying it gives me a nervous tic, lol! ;)
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Yum! I can’t get enough almond meal these days. And your measuring spoons are adorable!
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These look great. I’m curious about the almond meal. Can it be made into a paste like the peanut flour? It looks a little more coarse, like it can only be used in baking. I’m still mourning peanut flour :(
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 8:10 am
I haven’t tried, so I’m not sure, but it’s definitely more coarse and mealy than typical flour.
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These sound delicious!! Thanks for the recipe, Emily!
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Such adorable measuring spoons! And, I love your pictures – gorgeous! :D
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Mmm I want those bars, and those spoons! I believe I can’t possibly measure anything in the kitchen until I find them. They’re too cute.
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Speaking of peanut flour, you can still buy it from the same retailer that made the TJ’s stuff!! I got a package of it this weekend and it’s exactly the same :) http://www.southerngracefarms.net/peanutflour.html
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Those are super cute measuring spoons!
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Why are you ‘mourning your PB flour’? I saw it at TJ’s yesterday…
I have the same measuring spoons :) This recipe sounds right up my alley — I’m a pepita lover.
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Thank you for posting this recipe. I made it this morning using a harvest berry blend from Aldis and also added 2 Tbsp shredded coconut. They were so good, reminded me of cookie dough.
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Looks delicious!
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Hey there- the almond meal has been in TJ’s up here in Brooklyn for a year or more, so I don’t think it’s their replacement. And we still have the peanut flour (even though I freaked out when you mentioned they’re removing it and bought approx 97 packs of it), so maybe it’s a regional thing? :)
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So glad I bought the last of the peanut flour at TJ’s last time I was there because they were totally out of it today :( And confirmed once again they will not be getting more in. Once it’s off the shelves it’s done. So sad :(
Love the cupcake measuring spoons, they are so cute!!!
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ha! I just posted a muesli recipe yesterday! Now I need to make these bars!
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Yum! These look great!
I believe Victoria (@distchocoholic) found the distributor for the TJ’s peanut flour…
http://www.byrdmill.com/gourmet_peanut_flour
Have you tried this?
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Hmm!! I have a 5K race coming up in honor of my friend’s dad and was looking to make some treats for everyone on our team! This could be it!! Looks yummy and healthy!
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I’m going to have to try your muesli bars! I’ve been addicted to muesli for a year now. Have you ever tried soaking the raw oats in milk overnight (with a little pure maple syrup and vanilla extract)? It has the greatest consistency in the morning. Mix in yogurt, a sliced banana and nuts .. the perfect breakfast!
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Oh yum! I saw the almond meal at TJ’s the other day, but didn’t really know if that was the PB flour replacement or something else. I’ll have to give it a try!
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Those look incredible! Perfect for a post nursing snack. I always have to have a little something on hand because nursing takes it out of you. haha
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these look so delicious! i recently made granola bars, these would be yummy too!
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I just printed this recipe to make later (sooo looking forward to it!)and just had to tell you how brilliant your print/Recipage feature is! And I am kinda in awe that Casey and you did it all by yourselves! It’s so absolutely perfect, I love it! It’s exactly how I like to layout recipes with the good old word-copy-paste-edit-and-print technique ;-) If I ever, or better ‘when’ I start a blog I will definitely sign up for your Recipage!
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Just made these and love them! They were super easy and fast to make and delicious. I think they are going to be my new pre-workout snack. I get up super early in the morning (between 4 and 4:30) to go to the gym and I have a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old and a husband who are still sleeping then, so I can’t make too much noise in the kitchen. :) I might start making a batch of these on the weekend so I can just grab one in the morning when I get up. Thanks!
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These were delish and so easy to make. How do you recommend storing them? Refrigerate, freeze ??
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What are the texture of these bars like? Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside? I’ve been searching for a bar that has that kind of texture for a long time. ^^;
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Emily Malone Reply:
April 14th, 2011 at 8:53 am
They are relatively chewy all the way through – I think they are delicious! :)
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I made these a couple of weeks ago with a few changes based on what I had on hand- dried cherries and sunflower seeds. I also added some hemp protein powder b/c I haven’t been getting enough protein lately (marathon training makes me want to eat nothing but oatmeal). These babies came out great! I especially loved them crumbled over Greek yogurt the next day.
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Love your recipe. Just made my first batch although i am yet to taste them. The squares are TINY (being greedy, I thought they would be bigger) although i used the ingredients you stated my fitness pal determined they were only 89 calories a square!
Nicole from the UK
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