Muesli Bars with Vanilla Yogurt Topping and Baking Music

The other day a keen runner friend of mine explained excitedly how her times had improved dramatically after she began listening to a specially compiled 'Running Trax' album. 

It got me thinking. Could a specially created 'Cooking Tunes' album provide more rise in my bread? More flavour to my Florentines? More skill to my piping?

I'm not the first to have thought this. Way back when, Jamie Oliver put together a selection of his favourite Brit Pop songs in "Cookin'" and more recently the imaginatively titled 'Cook Songs' has been released. 

If the BigWigs at Song Music came to me for my Cooking Compilation album, these would be my suggestions, niftily split into helpful sections...

'Now That's What I Call....Sizzling'. 

(The title is a work in progress). 

The Bread Section

Westlife 'You Raise Me Up

 Bill Haley and His Comets - Rockin Through the Rye

Meat Loaf - I Would Do Anything For Love

Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag

The Fruity Bakes Section

Bananarama - Love in The First Degree

The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever 

The Jam - Going Underground

Chuck Berry - Roll Over Beethoven 

The Sweet Section

Robbie Williams- Candy

Ricky Martin - Shake Your Bon Bon 

Billie - Honey to the Bee

Millie Small - My Boy Lollipop

The Section You'll Hopefully Never Have to Listen to

The Prodigy - Firestarter

Talking Heads - Burning Down The House 

Jennifer Lopez - On the Floor

Garbage - The Word Is Not Enough

What music do you cook to? Do you vigorously whisk to Wham? Gently stir to Sinatra? Crack your eggs in time to Coldplay?

I baked this to Radio 4's 'Just a Minute'. Which meant a lot of giggling and guffawing. 

Muesli Bars with Yoghurt Topping

(makes 10-12 bars)

Ingredients

For the base:

75g butter

3 tbsp honey

75g soft brown sugar

200g porridge oats

100g mixed seeds

50g raisins

50g flaked almonds

50g dried chopped apricots

For the topping:

250g white chocolate

125g natural yogurt

1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Heat the oven to 160 C/fan 140 C/Gas Mark 3.

2. Grease and line the base of an 18 x 25cm tin

3. Melt the honey, sugar and butter in a pan over a low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon throughout

5. Remove from the heat. Stir in the oats, the dried fruit, nuts and seeds until the mixture is thoroughly combined

6. Tip into the tin, flatten lightly with the back of the wooden spoon and bake for 20- 30 minutes until golden brown

7. Allow to cool completely in the tin. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a small bowl suspended over a pan of gently simmering water or in short bursts in a microwave. Once completely melted, stir in the yogurt and vanilla and pour the topping over the cooled oaty base. 

8. Place into the fridge to set the topping. Once set, remove from the tin and place on a chopping board. Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry off any excess water and cut the traybake into twelve bars 

Baker's notes...

• A wide variety of dried fruit, nuts and seeds can be used in this recipe. Just ensure the total quantity is no more than 250g
• For a simple milk or dark chocolate topping, melt 300g chocolate in a small bowl suspended over a pan of gently simmering water or in short bursts in a microwave before drizzling over the oaty base and placing in the refrigerator to set 
• The bars will keep for up to three days when stored in an airtight container. Unless you happen to work with my colleagues, where they last about two and a half hours
• What music to you bake to?
• I am entering this into this months Tea Time Treat bogging challenge, alternatively hosted by myself and Karen from Lavender and Lovage. September is Karen's month and the lovely theme is Flapjacks, Oats and Traybakes.