- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup no-sugar-added crunchy peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey, plus a little more to finish
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup dried fruit, such as raisins, chopped apricots, prunes, or dates, either singly or in combination
- 1 cup mixed seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, flaxseed, and sesame
- Preheat the oven to 325°F:
- Grease and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Put the butter, sugar, peanut butter, honey, and grated citrus zests in a deep saucepan over very low heat. Let heat until melted, stirring from time to time.
- Stir the oats, dried fruit, and three-quarters of the seeds into the melted butter mixture until thoroughly combined. Spread the mixture out evenly in the prepared pan, smoothing the top as you go.
- Scatter the remaining seeds over the surface and drizzle with a little more honey. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden in the center and golden brown on the edges.
- Let cool completely in the pan (be patient – it cuts much better when cold), then turn out and cut into squares with a sharp knife. These bars will keep for 5 to 7 days in an airtight tin.
- Variation: Banana booster bars
- Replace the peanut butter with 1 medium ripe banana (about 6 ounces), mashed. Stir it in after all the other ingredients have been combined.