Vitality Muesli Slice

A no-bake muesli slice held together with nut butter and cacao butter, with a scoop of greens powder blended through the dry mix.

It sets in the fridge, cuts into bars, and works as a breakfast you can eat walking out the door.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup pepitas
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 2 scoops greens powder, mint or chocolate flavour if you have one
• 1 cup nut butter
• 1/4 cup cacao butter

Method

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Melt the cacao butter in a small pot over low heat, then stir the nut butter through it.
3. Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Press firmly into an 8x8 slice tin or similar, then refrigerate until firm.
5. Cut into bars.

Which greens powder should I use?

Whichever one you already have. This recipe is a good way to use a greens powder you find hard to drink, because the cacao butter and nut butter carry the flavour comfortably.

A mint or chocolate blend suits it best. A strongly berry or tropical one will fight the nut butter.

Greens+ is our house-brand option if you need one, and the wider greens range has the alternatives.

Why is my slice crumbling?

Almost always one of three things, and all are fixable.

• Not pressed hard enough. The most common cause by far. This mixture needs real pressure. Use the back of a spoon or the base of a glass and lean on it.
• Not enough nut butter. It is the glue. If the mix looks dry and does not clump when squeezed in your hand, add a tablespoon at a time.
• Cut while too cold. Straight from the fridge the cacao butter is brittle and shatters. Give it five minutes on the bench first.

Can I make it without cacao butter?

Yes. Coconut oil is the closest substitute and behaves the same way: solid when cold, melts on gentle heat.

The difference is firmness. Cacao butter sets harder, so a coconut oil version will be softer and needs to stay refrigerated. It also melts in your hand faster, which matters if these are going in a bag.

Can I make it nut free?

Yes, and it holds together just as well.

• Swap the nut butter for sunflower seed butter or tahini. Tahini makes it noticeably more savoury, which some people prefer.
• Swap the slivered almonds for extra pepitas and sunflower seeds.
• Check your greens powder for nut warnings if allergy rather than preference is the issue.

Is it actually healthy?

It is oats, nuts, seeds and nut butter, which are all worth eating. It is also energy dense, and that is worth being clear about.

A cup of nut butter and a quarter cup of cacao butter is a lot of fat, so these bars carry real calories whether or not the chocolate chips go in. That is fine, and it is what makes them filling, but they are a substantial snack rather than a light one. Cut them smaller than feels right and they last twice as long.

The greens powder is a top-up, not the point. The oats, nuts and seeds are doing the nutritional work here.

How long does it keep?

• Fridge. Up to a week in an airtight container.
• Freezer. Up to three months. Separate the layers with baking paper.
• Not the cupboard. The cacao butter softens at room temperature and the slice loses its structure.

For more like this, browse the full recipe collection.