I created this recipe on a bit of a whim after a long Skype call with one of my oldest friends. She mentioned that she loves indulging in coffee shop granola bars however hates all the added hidden sugars and ingredients that go into it. And that’s what sparked my idea to create healthy granola bars packed with natural ingredients and none of the rubbish that we’re constantly trying to avoid.

I literally raided my cupboards and threw in all the nuts, raisins, oats and fruit that I could find and wished for the best. To my luck, they turned out pretty well. I always like to make sure my recipes don’t contain too many expensive, specialist ingredients – one thing that annoys me is finding a recipe that requires a scouting mission across town and a $30 investment, all for some healthy cookies or muffins that may or may not even taste good.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can get creative and add or remove ingredients as you please, so even if you’re missing a thing or two they will still turn out great.

What I realized as well is that these bars make a great breakfast accompaniment – I crumbled half a bar into my smoothie  bowl this morning and it was a nice little addition. I’ve always loved granola, but I tend to steer clear because it’s usually packed with sugar; some granola cereals boast a whopping 600 calories for just one cup, so the nice thing about these healthy granola bars is that you know exactly what’s going into them.