Muesli breakfast bars

Dietitian's tip:

Perfect for breakfast on the go, these bars combine rolled oats with nuts and fruit.

To make this plant based, use vegan protein powder instead of dry milk.

Ingredients

1. 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2. 1/2 cup soy flour
3. 1/2 cup fat-free dry milk
4. 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
5. 1/2 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans, toasted
6. 1/2 cup chopped dried apples
7. 1/2 cup raisins
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 1 cup dark honey
10. 1/2 cup natural unsalted peanut butter
11. 1 tablespoon olive oil
12. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Heat the oven to 325 F. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, dry milk, wheat germ, almonds, apples, raisins and salt. Stir well to blend and set aside.

In a small saucepan, stir together the honey, peanut butter and olive oil over medium-low heat until well-blended. Don't let the mixture boil. Stir in the vanilla. Add the warm honey mixture to the dry ingredients and stir quickly until well-combined. The resulting mixture should be sticky but not wet.

Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Press firmly to remove any air pockets. Bake just until the edges begin to brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and then cut into 24 bars. When just cool enough to handle, remove the bars from the pan and place them on the rack to cool completely. Store the bars in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

This recipe is one of 150 recipes collected in "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook," published by Mayo Clinic Health Information and Oxmoor House, and winner of a James Beard award.