Muesli Bars and the Cherry Bus

So every time Logan and I venture to the LC (Leelanau County) we have to make a stop into Oryana's Natural Food Store in Traverse City. Logan gets tea and I get muesli bars. Nom nom nom. So we decided to give it a go on making our own bars, since Logan has already taken over the spare bedroom with "crops" tea is off the table for growing.

Muesli Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup of rolled oats
1 cup of unsweetened desiccated coconut
1/3 cup of wheatgerm
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
1/2 cup of sunflower kernals
1/2 cup of raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup of dried, unsweetened cranberries
1/4 of flax seeds
100 grams of butter (just under 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup of honey
1/8 cup of brown sugar
Baking or waxed paper

Directions

1. Grease and line a square baking tin with baking paper. Set aside.
2. Cook the oats, coconut, wheatgerm, sesame seeds, sunflower kernels and pumpkin seeds in a fry pan over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until golden. Be careful not to burn the mixture. Transfer to a metal bowl. Set aside to cool.
3. Stir in the cranberries and flax seeds.
4. Cook the butter, honey and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for for 3 to 4 minutes or until sugar has dissolved.
5. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Add butter mixture to dry ingredients. Stir well until combined.
6. Spoon the mixture into the tin. Use a large metal spoon to press the mixture down firmly and evenly.
7. Allow to cool and then cut into squares or rectangles.
8. The bars can be stored in a foil-lined airtight container for up to a week.

I found this one on  about.com (of all places) under Australian food (again of all places). So these little bad boys are pretty darn easy to make - plus you can mix up the nuts and fruit you are using to create variety, which is also a plus. Personally, I wanted to use dried cherries (go figure) but Logan still hasn't boarded the everything is meant to be made with cherries bus yet. But on a side note I did give him a kiwi the other day and they are his new favorite thing, apparently the boy had never had one? Oy! These bars weren't too shabby in the end. I wouldn't cook them until they are golden brown - maybe more of a light golden just because I could taste the cooked-ness of them. And I am going to experiment with liquid mixtures because although this one is pretty good it's not to the Oryana level yet. 

P.S. Please do NOT grease AND lay down parchment paper - that's just dumb. Pick one (I used parchment).

Would I Make it Again: With Changes - YES
Noming Score: 2.75/5