Oat, date and mixed fruit flapjacks....

The original granola bar !

As far back as I can remember, I have loved oat and grain bars; we used to call them flapjacks growing up in Yorkshire. They were filled with pantry staples, (sometimes surpluses) that were cheap and easy to get hold of like oats, grains and dried fruits. Bound together by honey or treacle (I prefer honey) they’d be filled with the above mentioned ingredients and also versatile enough to throw in whatever dried fruits and nuts were to hand. Each bite took a while to savour and break down whilst tasting every ingredient, from the sweet fruit to the soft oats chewing your way through it. I can’t think of a better way to describe my experience of a flapjack !!

I’m still partial to this oaty bar, but see many variations on it now, which is a good thing. The more 'trendy' version I see are  'granola bars',  which are essentially made up of pretty much the same ingredients. It’s all good. Anyhow; I  made a big batch of these with the help of my 4 year old who now also loves them. A great alternative to what children like to snack on.. result !!   Add your own bits and pieces; I threw in goji berries, flax seeds and chia seeds;  that’s the beauty of this wonderful treat. I love them for breakfast as well as picking at them shamelessly through the day....

Who else calls it flapjack?

Ingredients

Makes 12 chunky bars of 24 normal sized bars 

500g porridge oats

125g light brown sugar (optional) leave this out if you don't like too much sugar

250g butter melted

8-10 tbsp golden syrup or honey (depending on how gooey you want it)

5-6 pitted dates chopped up

1 cup dried mixed fruits - I used sultanas, raisins, cranberries and gogi berries (feel free to use your own choice of fruit, it all works)

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp flax seeds

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Place the porridge oats,  melted butter, sugar and  golden syrup / honey in a large bowl and mix together very well until combined. Alternatively, use a food processor and pulse until mixed, being  careful not to over mix as  the oats may lose their texture.

Place baking paper into a baking tray 1 inch deep (ideally square or rectangular) and spoon in the mixture. Press the mixture firmly into the corners with a spatula or the back of a spoon so the mixture is flat. Score  into 12  or 24 squares.

Bake for approximately  15 minutes until nicely golden brown at the edges

Enjoy!