Apricot, pistachio and cardamom granola bars
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
- 260 g rolled oats rounded
- 90 g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped rounded
- 120 g dried apricots, cut into 5 mm pieces rounded
- 40 g pumpkin seeds rounded
- 130 g runny honey rounded
- 45 g packed light brown sugar rounded
- 55 g unsalted butter, cut into pieces rounded
- 3 g ground cardamom rounded
- 2 g fine salt rounded
Method
Method
- Heat the oven to 175°C. Line a 20 cm square tin with a parchment sling. Spread the oats, pistachios and pumpkin seeds on a sheet pan and toast for 8 minutes, stirring once.
- Tip the warm oat mixture into a large bowl and add the apricot. Keep the oven on.
- Combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, cardamom and salt in a small heavy saucepan. Warm gently until melted, then bring to a steady boil. Cook, stirring and checking with a sugar thermometer, until the binder reaches 110°C, about 2 to 4 minutes. Without a thermometer, boil until the bubbles look thick and glossy and a spatula drawn across the pan leaves a path for about 1 second.
- Immediately pour the hot binder over the oat mixture and stir for 45 seconds, scraping from the bottom, until every flake is glossy. Transfer to the tin before it stiffens.
- Cover with a second sheet of parchment. Using the flat base of a measuring cup, press as hard as possible for a full minute, working especially firmly at the corners and edges.
- Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, until the edges are evenly golden and the centre feels firm when lightly pressed. Cool in the tin for 60 minutes, then lift out and cool another 15 minutes before cutting into 12 bars with a sharp serrated knife.
Notes
- Allergens: pistachios and dairy. Oats may have gluten cross-contact, so use oats labelled gluten-free when required. Pumpkin seeds are not tree nuts but may be packed in facilities that handle them.
- The 110°C binder and hard one-minute press are structural steps. If the bars crumble, the usual causes are undercooked binder, loose pressing, large apricot pieces or cutting while warm.
- Store completely cooled bars airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerate for up to 7 days. Freeze separated by parchment for up to 2 months and thaw in the closed container.
- Pack in parchment inside a rigid box. They can travel without an ice pack for the day, but keep them away from direct sun or a hot car.
- Use pliable dried apricots. Very dry fruit should be cut smaller, not soaked, because added surface water shortens storage life and softens the bars.