Dried Fruit Bars: the delicious recipe for making crunchy, healthy bars

Dried fruit bars are great for breakfast or as an energy snack made without flour, that means it’s gluten-free. There are various ways in which to enjoy these dried fruit bars. Pack them for lunch as a quick bite on the go. Eat them to boost your energy levels, or take a bite to satisfy your sweet craving.

The nuts not only add a lot of crunch, but with the great variety of nuts used in this recipe, it has more flavor too. It’s easy to customize to your preference, so make sure to check out our tasty suggestions below. Add a sugary syrup to bind all the nuts together, and you have a delicious, crunchy dried fruit bar you can enjoy while on the move.

Tips

To make the bars more fruity, you can add any of the following:

Dried cranberriesChopped dried apricotsRaisins

Add more flavor by adding chopped crystallized ginger, lemon zest, orange zest, or vanilla essence. You can also add spices like mixed spice, allspice, cinnamon, or nutmeg.

To add more fiber to the dried fruit bars, feel free to add oats, bran flakes, or rice krispies.

Spray the knife with oil cooking spray to ensure smooth slices. This will prevent the candy from sticking to the blade, ensure that each slice comes out smoothly.

Don’t feel like you have to stick to the nuts we used in this recipe. Feel free to use any of your favorites. Pecans, cashews, and macadamias will all work well. If using large nuts, make sure to chop them so they are all equally sized.

How To Store Dried Fruit Bars

To store the bars, wrap them with parchment paper, and then place them in an airtight container. If you live in a humid area, rather place them in the fridge as this will prevent the bars from going sticky. You can also freeze them. To do this, wrap the bars in a layer of parchment paper, then with another layer of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months.

How To Make Dried Fruit Bars

Add the nuts to a baking tin and bake for 10 minutes at 380°F/190°C. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

Once baked and dried, chop the nuts finely, using a large knife.

Now prepare the syrup (this will bind the nuts together). Melt the sugar in a pan with a little water and honey.

Once the mixture is boiling, add a squeeze of lemon juice into it.

Once the mixture is heated and all the sugar is dissolved, add the roasted nuts and mix to combine.

Use a spatula to spread the mixture into a baking tin. Allow to cool.

Cut into bars and serve.

Notes

Line the baking tin with parchment paper. This will make it easier to remove the bars after cooling.