These nut free Apple Muesli Bars are just delicious. They are lower in added sugar than most muesli bars and have a delicious firm and chewy texture. These apple oat bars are no bake and when you master a few tricks they’re simple and easy to prepare. They are packed with flavour and the goodness of oats, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, dried apple and cinnamon all bound together with coconut oil, brown sugar and honey.

Muesli bars are one of those snack foods that I love to make at home. You know exactly what’s in them and there’s the added benefit of no packaging! And you know how I love nude food in those lunchboxes.

These Apple Sunflower Seed Muesli Bars are an even lower sugar version of homemade muesli bars with only 1/4 cup of honey and 1/4 cup of brown sugar to sweeten and bind the muesli bar together. They are packed full of oats and have a generous serve of sunflower seeds, making these a fibre packed lunchbox snack.

These apple oat bars are chewy in texture and are definitely sweet enough despite a reduction in added sugars. The cinnamon adds a lovely fragrance to the bars and works perfectly with the apple.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This recipe comes together with pantry ingredients. I have listed quantity information in the recipe card below.

Quick Oats – these oats are smaller in size than traditional rolled oats and they quickly absorb liquid. Because they are smaller, they make more compact muesli bars. You can substitute regular rolled oats if this is what you have. I would recommend to blitz these a little in a food processor to break them down.
Wheat Germ – will help bind these Apple Muesli Bars together. Wheat germ is the fibre packed centre of the wheat seed. You can find wheat germ in the cereal section of your supermarket. Substitutions for wheat germ are oat flour or ground flaxseeds. You could also use almond flour however this would not be suitable for taking in the lunchbox for a lot of schools and daycares who have nut free policies.
Dried Apple – the dried apple I use has a similar texture to dried apricots – I do not use crispy dried apple. Dried apple is available at most supermarkets.
Sunflower Seeds – packed with Vitamin E and minerals and are a great source of healthy fats. Sunflower seeds have a mild nutty flavour. You could substitute with Pepitas or an equal quantity of any other seeds. If not sending to school you may wish to replace with nuts. Almonds or walnuts would work well, just chop them up first so they are nice and small.
Cinnamon – the perfect spice to pair with apples and add more flavour to these Apple Muesli Bars.
Coconut Oil – will help keep the muesli bars solid and held together when cooled. It is important to store the muesli bars in the fridge and send in the lunchbox with a well insulated lunch bag to ensure that the muesli bars hold together. You can substitute the coconut oil for butter in this recipe as it also has a solid state.
Honey – honey is an important binding ingredient in this recipe. Together with the brown sugar, the honey is part of the glue that helps stick the bars together. You can substitute for Rice Malt Syrup to make a vegan option.
Brown Sugar – as with the honey, this is important to glue the no bake apple oat bars together.

How to make the Apple Muesli Bars

In a medium sized bowl add in the oats, wheatgerm, sunflower seeds, dried apple and cinnamon and mix together until evenly stirred through. Prepare a slice pan by greasing and lining with baking paper.

In a saucepan over a medium heat bring the coconut oil, honey and brown sugar to a slow boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring the mixture with a whisk slowly until you get a thickened silky syrup.

Then, remove the saucepan from the heat and mix quickly into the apple, sunflower seed and oat mixture ensuring that it is well combined. It’s important to work quickly at this step.

Next, spoon the Apple Muesli Bar mixture into the prepared slice pan. Then quickly spread the mixture evenly through the pan. I find it helpful to use the back of a spatula to firmly press the mixture until it is compact and evenly spread through the slice pan. Next, you will need to chill in the fridge for 4 hours or until completely set before cutting into bars or squares. Keep the Apple Oat Bars stored in the fridge or freezer.

Tips for making the Apple Oat Bars

It’s really important to be patient and ensure the coconut oil, honey and brown sugar mixture is well combined. You will see the change in consistency in colour and the mix will become thick and syrupy. This is the glue that will hold the muesli bars together so take your time. I found I have had the best results by stirring throughout the process over a medium lower heat.

Another tip is to finely dice the dried apple pieces so they are not too big. This is so that the muesli bars hold together once cut.

Looking for more no bake beauties, like these nut free Apple Sunflower Seed Muesli Bars?

Try these delicious no bake and nut free Chocolate Chip Muesli Bars
Or why not try these Apricot Chia Muesli Bars
If you love apple you will love these Apple Pie Bliss Balls – nut free and perfect for the lunchbox
And you cannot go past these nut free Chocolate Bliss Balls for school lunch fun!

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