Help - uncooked muesli bars too crumbly

[Lenny]

I found a very yummy recipe for homemade uncooked muesli bars. I liked the idea of not turning the oven on, just toasting the nuts and oats in the frypan and most of my previous attempts at muesli bars are too biscuity/cakey.

The liquid was half a cup of honey, 125 gms butter, 1/3 cup of brown sugar. Brought to the boil, then simmered for 7 mins, then added to the nuts/oats/fruit and pressed into tray.

The result is very yummy, but has no hold and it just falls apart. I even tried it in the fridge, which helps, but it crumbles again as soon as it warms up.

Can anyone tell me what might help. I am not savvy enough to know whether to add more of one thing or less of another.

TIA.

[JLeigh29]

I'm not great at that kind of stuff, but it sounds like a pretty good mix to me! The butter and honey should've helped to hold it.... was there enough liquid for the amount of nuts/fruit etc you had?

Not sure, but would having the liquid too hot mean it would soak into the oats/fruit and mean less liquid for binding?

Just taking a stab in the dark here though. Maybe someone else can help...

[BhoysGirl]

It sounds like a bit of a dodgy recipe to me. The Honey/Butter/Sugar combo & method is one that you use for Honey joys (mmmm, honeyjoys..) and they definitely need about 10 mins in an oven to set. If you think of butter that's been melted, it never quite goes back to the solid state it was pre-melting. Adding honey & sugar (which would release its water component when combined) to melted butter would just make it harder to set IMO.

The no-bake kind of muesli bars that I've seen seem have a mix of dried fruit whizzed up to a paste then combined with oats & nuts, with up to 1/2 cup of OJ (depending on quantity of other ingredients) just to make it sticky enough to hold, and no butter.

Pity it didn't work though.

[Beach Mama]

I did one with those exact quantities the other day it was perfect. Did yours have wheat germ in it too? I also had to simmer til the honey/butter/ sugar until it was really syrupy. (8mins simmer?) Was ithe taste.com one for homemade muesli bars? Not sure what else would help other than maybe simmering the mix a bit longer until it's quite thick?

[Lenny]

Thanks Tan - thats the one. I will do it again this weekend if i get the chance. I guess i didn't simmer the mixture for long enough - if yours worked.
Perhaps it has something to do with getting the sugar to set.

[Beach Mama]

I made it again and it wasn't as good but I also toasted all the dry stuff for way too long which made a difference too, i think it dried it out too much! Good luck!!!!!