Allison's Crafty Pukeko Bars (air Fryer) Recipe

How to make it

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• Preheat your oven (not air fryer) to 200 degrees Celsius.
• Line a tin that fits in your air fryer with baking paper (my tin is 20cm square).
• Toast the first two ingredients (sunflower seeds and oats) for 7 minutes at 200 degrees. This step is optional but makes for a nicer flavour of bar.
• After the toasted seeds and oats have cooled a bit, put them into a food processor with the rest of the dry ingredients. Pulse the food processor a few times until the seeds are no longer whole - but stop well before they all turn into flour. This step helps the bars stick together.
• In a microwavable bowl, add all wet ingredients. Stir briefly to combine, then microwave to liquify the mixture. You don't need long - maybe a minute.
• When the wet ingredients are liquified, pour the wet and dry ingredients into the same bowl (it could be your food processor again, with the blade removed), and stir to combine.
• Spread the mixture into your lined baking tin, and press it down firmly with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup.
• Bake in your air fryer for 25 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius.
• Remove and let cool completely before removing and cutting into bars. If you cut them too soon, they will crumble. Using a large, sharp knife will also help with clean cuts. If the bars seem too soft, leave them out on the counter overnight to harden, and cut them in the morning.
• Notes:
• - If peanuts are not an issue, you can use 3/4 c peanuts in place of the 3/4 c sunflower seeds. This makes the bar taste more like a Crafty Weka Bar. :)
• - You can buy Toasted Seed mix from the most excellent Fresh 4 Less Indian Supermarket if you live in Christchurch. It is a mix of pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds.
• - You're after a ratio of 2 1/2 cups of seeds/oats to 1 cup of dried fruit. You can mix and match whatever you like, and you can use nuts as well, if nut allergies are not an issue.
• - I have tried this recipe without the brown sugar but the bars no longer stick together well.
• - This is a cinnamon-forward recipe! If you don't love cinnamon, use 2T instead of 4T.
• - If you have problems with the bars crumbling, try mixing in 1 or 2 T of chia seeds with the wet ingredients.