Oat and dried fruit bars

More and more of us refuse to settle for eating processed foods; we enjoy making recipes at home with healthy ingredients and no preservatives—and even more so when it comes to products that are, in theory, the so‑called “healthy” ones.

That's why when it comes to searching snacks or healthy snacks, at least I'm very picky. I love cereal bars, but I've always been put off by not really knowing what they taste like and by the fact that they have lots of ingredients you don't quite know what they are, plus when they contain a certain fruit, I'd rather they had another… In short, I want to know what I'm eating and also customize it to my taste.

That's what I've done today with these cereal bars thanks to the WMF dehydrator, which has effortlessly allowed me not only to dehydrate the fruits I used for these bars, but also to make them the ideal size with its mold, which is included with the dehydrator. It's a very simple recipe; Let's go with it:

WMF food dehydrator and Laura Ashley porcelain bowl

INGREDIENTS: (For about 14 bars like the ones in the photos)

• 150 g of rolled oats
• 80 g chopped nuts (in my case, walnuts and hazelnuts)
• 180 g pitted dates, blended until a paste forms
• 80 g heather honey (you can use whichever you prefer)
• 50 g of dried fruit, chopped into small pieces (I used apple, persimmon since it’s in season, banana, and mango)
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt

PREPARATION

1. The day before, we dehydrated the fruit, slicing it to a thickness of about 4 mm and removing the core in the case of the apple and the skin from the persimmon as well. We placed them on separate trays so that the hot air could circulate and set on our WMF food dehydrator, 8 hours at 70 degrees and we forget about it. It will stop on its own when the time is up.
2. The next morning, ready to make our bars, preheat the oven to 180ºc with top and bottom heat. Place the rolled oats and nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast for about 10 minutes, until the oats start to look golden. Remove and let cool slightly.
3. Mix the dried fruits, cinnamon, salt, honey, and crushed dates until a paste forms.
4. We fill the mold with it (included in the purchase of the WMF dehydrator), cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. We remove, carefully unmold, and store in airtight container, separated by sheets of kraft paper.

WMF Food Dehydrator

Tips:

• They keep well for about 3-4 days, if they last that long at home.
• You might just want a mold for bars. In that case, you can use the Mastrad. But if you don't have a mold, spread the dough in the shape of a griddle to a thickness of half a centimeter, put it in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes, until it hardens, and when you take it out, cut it as you like.