Flapjacks

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is: what would you recommend as a healthy snack when time is of the essence? 

There are SO many ‘healthy’ snacks out there at the moment and it’s easy to get caught up in the hype some particular brands create. However, even a generic cereal bar or ‘raw, vegan, organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, high-protein’ bar can contain more than half your recommended daily allowance of sugar!

There’s no denying that these convenience foods are often delicious – I can’t say that I don’t enjoy the odd one every now and then myself - but be wary of their ‘healthy’ claims and be sure to read the labels correctly.

I was asked the snack question earlier this week and it sent me on a mission to develop a new recipe. Enter these flapjacks. Usually deemed a ‘healthy’ treat, store-bought flapjacks are loaded with sugar, syrup and butter – I should know, I used to make them on an industrial scale! Even healthier recipes can be made with up to 250ml honey and a considerable amount of dried fruit.

My recipe contains just 75ml pure honey and relies on 3 bananas for a natural and subtle sweetness. When cut into 10 servings the sugar content is much lower than your average recipe. The oats are a great source of carbohydrate energy and fibre plus you get a good dose of mono- and polyunsaturated fats from the nuts and virgin rapeseed oil. Feel free to add in a handful of flaxseeds, pumpkins, sunflower or sesame seeds to boost their nutritional value!

Best of all these take no time at all to whip up, they're cheap and will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days!

Refined Sugar Free Flapjacks

Makes 10

3 bananas – about 200g

75ml pure runny honey

75ml virgin rapeseed oil

1 tbsp peanut butter

50g chopped nuts – almonds, pecans or walnuts work best

280g regular quick-cook porridge oats

Zest of 1 orange

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan); grease and line a rectangular baking tray* with baking parchment
2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl
3. Add the honey, rapeseed oil, peanut butter, nuts, oats and orange zest mixing well to make sure everything is well coated and sticky
4. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, press the mixture down and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until firm and just slightly browned
5. Allow to cool completely before cutting up

* My baking tray was 25x15cm