Aussie Bites

I was doing fine without a Costco membership (nothing against them, but I tend to overspend when I go there) until I visited my parents recently and tried Aussie Bites.  They look like mini-muffin-shaped granola bars and are about $10 for a box of 32, so I asked Google if non-members could make these at home.  The first recipe I tried turned out to be the one, but the first time I tried it I soaked the chia seeds in water before adding them to the bowl (after reading this suggestion in the comments). Those took longer to bake and were gooey, so I don't do that any more. I tweaked some ingredients and added kosher salt because of how it makes these oatmeal cookies amazing.  Most of the ingredients I had on hand and I found the rest at Aldi, so now we can make them whenever we want.  Also my kids like them and they don't contain nuts, so they're great for packed lunches and car snacks. (Nut free, gluten free, and can be dairy free if you sub oil for the butter). Here's my version.

Aussie Bites

Yield: 24

Ingredients

1¾ cup rolled oats, divided
½ cup total dried fruit (I use some combination of dates, raisins, apricots, or Craisins)
¼ cup salted roasted sunflower seeds
¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
¼ cup shredded coconut
¼ cup ground flax seed
¼ cup dried quinoa (optional)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ cup maple syrup or honey
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup canola or coconut oil
½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 24-count mini-muffin pan.
2. Pour 1 cup of rolled oats into a food processor. Process for about 1 minute until oats are pulverized. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add to the food processor the remaining ¾ cup rolled oats, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and coconut. Pulse until dried fruit is in small bits. Transfer to bowl.
4. Add to bowl: flax seed, quinoa, chia seeds, salt, baking soda, syrup/honey, melted butter, oil, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
5. Divide mixture among the prepared muffin cups. I use a medium/1.5Tbsp cookie scoop and then gently tamp each one down with a Pampered Chef mini tart shaper (although a tablespoon would work).
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 17-19 minutes until golden brown. 
7. Remove from oven and let cool completely in pan on a wire cooling rack. Run a plastic knife around the edge to loosen without scratching your pan.
8. Store in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days, or freeze part of the batch so you don't eat them all today.

When made with all listed ingredients including ¼ cup Craisins, ¼ cup raisins, and the maple syrup option, these each have 115 calories, 2g protein, 11g carbohydrates, 2g fiber.