061 / 75 · Something Sweet for a Break

Apricot and Pumpkin Seed Oat Bars

8 oat bars · Active 15 min · Total 1 hr 10 min

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Dried apricots and pumpkin seeds give these oat bars a chewy center and a little crunch. They are cut only after cooling, when the butter-and-honey mixture has set enough to hold the oats together. The bars are a small sweet extra for a break rather than a substitute for a complete meal.

Jump to ingredients

Chewy apricot and pumpkin seed oat bars.

Press firmly, then let the tray cool

Chop apricots fairly small so they distribute through every bar. Stir the oats thoroughly with the warm butter mixture, scraping the base of the bowl so no dry flakes remain. Press into the lined pan with the back of a spoon. The bars will look soft when they leave the oven; cutting immediately can make them crumble. Let the pan cool before lifting out and slicing.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter (75 g)
  • 1/4 cup honey (85 g)
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar (25 g)
  • 2 cups rolled oats (180 g)
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped (75 g)
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (45 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Set out

Conventional oven, 8-by-8-inch metal baking pan, Baking paper, Small saucepan, Mixing bowl

Allergens

Milk, Oats. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line the pan with baking paper.
  2. Melt butter, honey and brown sugar in the saucepan over low heat, stirring until combined.
  3. Mix oats, apricots, pumpkin seeds, salt and cinnamon in the bowl. Pour in the warm butter mixture and stir thoroughly.
  4. Press evenly into the pan. Bake for 22–25 minutes until golden at the edges.
  5. Cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then lift out and cut into eight bars.

Wrap after cooling

Wrap the bars only once fully cool so steam does not collect inside the wrapper. A small rigid snack box protects a bar better than the bottom of a crowded work bag.

A useful detail

Pressing the mixture evenly matters more than making a decorative top. Loose corners tend to crumble when cut.

Another way

  • Use chopped dried peaches instead of apricots.
  • Replace pumpkin seeds with sunflower seeds for a different crunch.

Keep it well

Keep fully cooled bars in a covered container at a cool room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Freeze individually wrapped bars for up to 2 months. Keep them away from heat in a vehicle or bag.