Muesli bars are a lunchbox staple for many kids. But unfortunately, many of the store-bought options are not the best. They can be loaded with sugars and flavours that don’t give our kids the best fuel for learning. And many of the simpler ingredient options have nuts, which are a school lunch no-no.

But finding a reliable muesli bar recipe that sticks together isn’t always easy either. My kids aren’t fans of dried fruit in baked goods, so I set about creating a choc chip muesli bar that I was happy with them taking to school. But I didn’t have choc chips, so I chopped up a block of chocolate instead, and these Choc Chunk Muesli Bars were born. Sweetened with dates and honey, these are packed with oats and seeds to give your kids longer lasting energy for their school day.

Ingredients

6 large medjool dates

40g melted butter

½ cup mixed seeds – sunflower, pepitas, hemp, etc

2 cups rolled oats

1 tsp cinnamon

40g honey

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

50g chopped chocolate (I use Green & Blacks organic)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper.
2. Combine oats, seeds and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. In a food processor, blend dates and melted butter together to form a paste.
4. Add honey, eggs and vanilla and blend again until combined.
5. Add wet mixture into seeds and oats and stir until combined.
6. Gently stir chopped chocolate through the mixture.
7. Press mixture firmly into a lined tin, using wet hands or a sheet of baking paper over the top. Use a wet knife to cut into 12 bars (this makes it easier to cut when it’s cooked).
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch.
9. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes before lifting out onto a rack. Cool further then cut into bars.
10. Store in a sealed container in the freezer ready to place straight into lunchboxes to thaw by recess.

NOTE: If your children would prefer a slightly smoother texture, simply add the oat, seed and cinnamon mixture to the blender with the wet ingredients and blend until chopped but still retaining some texture. Stir chocolate through mixture by hand to keep it chunky.

Enjoy!