Blueberry and Greek Yoghurt Granola Bars are a healthy make-ahead breakfast made with fresh and dried blueberries.
It's Christmas in 3 days and we're all running around like mad people!
If you're anything like me you're probably snacking on all sorts of Christmas goodies - which leaves little room for fruit and other healthy stuff.
If you have been following me for a while now you probably know i LOVE granola!
So I made these Blueberry and Greek Yoghurt Granola Bars as a way to get something good and healthy in me early on in the day before all the bad influences start kicking in. Easy to grab from the side and eat on the run, they leave no excuse for having to resort to mini cheddars and an After Eight for breakfast. Not that I, erm, ever do that.
Apart from the Greek yoghurt drizzle, I purposely made these bars not too sweet - relying on only a 1/3 of a tbsp. of honey in each bar for sweetness. I use a mix of fresh and dried blueberries in the mix. The fresh berries not only add a pop of tart juiciness to the bars, but, because I squish them before adding them in, they help to bind the mix whilst keeping the bars moist too. I also use a few other binders:
- Greek yoghurt - also adds moisture and creaminess to the bars
- Coconut oil - so good for you, and it also helps to ensure an outer golden crunch
- The previously mentioned honey - adds just a touch of sweetness
- One egg white - I only include this to ensure the bars don't crumble as soon as you try to cut them. I tried it without the egg white, and they don't cut nearly as well.
The drizzle on top is made from Greek yoghurt and a powdered sugar. You only need a little, so I think using the powdered sugar is fine. However you can leave it out if you want to be extra good.
More Granola Ideas
The Blueberry and Greek Yoghurt Granola Bars Recipe:
Blueberry and Greek Yoghurt Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
Breakfast Bars:
- 50 ml Greek Yoghurt
- 50 g fresh blueberries - lightly crushed using a fork
- 200 g rolled oats - a gluten free variety if required
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil - melted
- 75 g dried blueberries
- 1 egg white from a large egg
- 1 pinch of salt
Greek Yoghurt Drizzle:
- 5 tbsp icing/powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 170C/325F and line a 20x20cm baking tin with baking parchment.
- Combine all of the breakfast bar ingredients in a large bowl. Mix to combine and spoon out into your baking tin. Flatten and squash the mixture down hard (you can use the back of a spoon, but if you want to reduce the chance of crumbling then place a piece of greaseproof paper on top of the flattened mixture, place a same-size baking tin on top and really squash down hard. Then you can peel the paper off) ensuring the mixture reaches all the edges of the tin. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden on top.
- Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift out of the tin by holding onto the baking parchment. Place on a chopping board on the baking parchment and leave to cool completely before cutting into 12 bars, using a sharp knife. You should be able to slice the bars no problem, but if you do find that the bars crumble when slicing, then place in the fridge for a couple of hours before slicing the rest.
- Make the drizzle by whisking the powdered sugar with half of the Greek yoghurt. Add a little more Greek yoghurt until you get a thick sauce. Drizzle this over the breakfast bars and serve.
- Leave the drizzle to dry for half an hour or so before wrapping and storing any remaining bars in an air-tight box. These bars are best eaten within 3-4 days.
✎ Notes
Nutrition
Minnie says
Love these healthy breakfast bars, great for my son who doesn't like to eat much in the morning.
Kara says
I made these last night. Loved the granola bar! So refreshing to use fresh fruit mixed in for a slightly different flavor. I didn't really care for the yogurt glaze, however. I felt that it only tasted of sugar and not yogurt. I played around with adding more yogurt but the consistancy was off as I expected. Also tried vanilla and almond extracts to try and bring out the flavor, separately of couse. Tried fresh lemon juice as well. Any ideas on how to get a more yogurt-y flavor?
Thanks again for such a fun granola bar recipe:)
Nicky Corbishley says
Hmmm you're testing me now!
It's quite difficult to get a drizzle to set without the powdered sugar in it. I haven't tried them, but here are a few things I might do if I wanted a less-sweet drizzle that still sets:
- Use a set-Greek yoghurt (not Greek-style) and strain off any liquid on top before mixing it with a little powdered sugar. Total Greek yoghurt is a great brand for this as it's really thick.
- Try using a less-sweet alternative to the sugar - maybe Greek yoghurt with some vanilla protein powder?
- Try adding something sour/sharp to the Greek yoghurt to counteract the sweetness of the sugar. Maybe some less-ripe, pureed blueberries/blackberries or some buttermilk.
Hope one of those works for you - let me know if they do 🙂
Thanks for the comment!
Myrissa says
Could you possibly give calorie info for these??
Thanks!
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Myrissa,
I don't tend to put the calorie content on my recipes, as it's quite time consuming, and I don't get a lot of call for it.
However, I've taken a look (I use this tool - which is great: http://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php) and it works out to be approx. 135 calories per bar (this recipe makes 12).
Lindsay says
I tried making these and for some reason mine were thin and much softer compared to your images. I followed your recipe (what I thought was to the t). Any thoughts?
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Lindsay,
Really sorry to hear your granola bars didn't turn out the way you expected. I went straight back in the kitchen this morning to retest the recipe in case i'd missed anything but they turned out fine. Let's have a look at some possibilities:
Does that help to identify the problem do you think?
Also, for future reference (with this and other granola bars) If you do cut a slice and find it crumbles, my advice would be to place the un-sliced granola bars in the fridge for a couple of hours before slicing.
Julie is HostessAtHeart says
This looks like a delicious granola bar! I love snacking on treats like this.
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Julie! Me too, I'll be making more of these in Jan for a healthy breakfast. Far too much indulging in December!