No Added Sugar Nutty Banana &
Chocolate Chip Flapjack
Photography by Ctrlaltdelete Design Solutions. Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.
Hello and welcome back!
So since my last post, the ‘Beast from the East’ (episode of unwanted snow and
freezingness) has thankfully depleted and we are now experiencing (slightly)
more spring-like temperatures at long last!
The cold spell was the
perfect excuse to get my bake on because let’s face It; I needed all the warmth
I could get as I feel the cold most terribly! Anyway-as always, I like to bake
up one of my all-time favourite treats particularly in the colder month,
FLAPJACK!! This is familiar to many here in the UK but perhaps not to those of
you across the pond. In a nutshell, Flapjack is a medley of rolled oats bound
in melted butter and sugar and then baked and cut up into wedges or bars, a
chewy Caramel oat slice. However this traditional baked delight has been
experimented and modified over the years with different flavours and exciting
additional ingredients including dried fruits, nuts and spices all of which I
myself have tried and tested. I was flicking through one of my recipe mags
recently when I came across s couple of energy bar ideas which got me excited;
a light bulb moment! Although I barely had any of the ingredients the one thing
I did have plenty of was Bananas and a few Walnuts and Almond Okara (the pulp
left over from making Almond Milk-yup I make my own!) which is what I am about
to share with you now.
Not only are my super simple version
of the humble Flapjack Sweet and chewy, but they are also much much healthier as
they require no added sugar, butters or oils as the Banana does all the work;
they are also packed with fibre, healthy fats and protein which come from the
nuts.
What Will I Need?
Food Processor, Blender
OR Potato masher if you don’t have a fancy gadget
1 X Large Mixing Bowl
20cm Non-Stick baking
tin (preferably spring form) round OR Square and lines with Baking Parchment
(NOT Greaseproof Paper as it WILL stick!).
Measuring scales
Measuring Spoons
Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
2 X Medium-Large Ripe Bananas
(the riper the better as more natural are released as apposed to being starchy)
100g Rolled Oats
¼ tsp. Sea Salt
75g Almond Okara (OR
Ground Almonds)
75g Ground Walnuts (OR
finely chopped)
50g non-dairy Chocolate roughly chopped (I recommend 85% cacao) OR non-dairy chocolate
chips
50g Sultanas OR Raisins
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees fan assisted (180 degrees gas).
- Place the Bananas in a food Processor OR Blender and pule until smooth OR in a spate bowl, mash into a puree then set aside.
- Place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl; then with a spatula, scrape the Banana Puree in with the oat mixture.
- With a wooden Spoon, mix all the ingredients together until well combined then transfer to the prepared cake tin.
- Let Bake for about 25 minutes OR until the edges are golden.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Slice and enjoy!
PLEASE NOTE: You may need to add a few extra oats if you end up with quite a lot of Banana Puree; you want a nice thick mixture that is like a wet cookie dough consistency.
Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days (best eaten in 2 days)
Can be frozen for up to one month.
TIP!
You can swap the additional dry ingredients (fruit, chocolate chips and nuts
for other preferred options i.e. pecans, cashews, sunflower Seeds, pumpkin
seeds, Flax meal OR a mixture of them all etc).
Add 1 tsp. cinnamon OR
other preferred sweet spices for additional flavour.
Add citrus zests for an
even fruiter taste sensation!
Are you Gluten intolerant? Swap rolled oats for gluten Free Oats
Perfect for adding
why-free protein powder for an extra Protein kick!
Serving Suggestions
Perfect with a cuppa.
Perfect for healthy lunch box additions that double up as a sweet treat, kids
are sure to love them!
Thank you for reading, I
hope you enjoy this recipe. Have fun, have a play around with different
ingredients to create the perfect healthy treat for you!
