Eat in the heat #9 Two kinds of flapjack: child friendly/ hippie healthy
I've been experimenting with flapjacks (or museli bars?) in the kitchen for some time now. I'm always trying out a new healthy recipe that I've found on pinterest or online. I love them every time. But the children? They're a much fussier bunch...
For them, a flapjack should contain no nuts (school policy) no dried fruit (at all) or crunchy things (seeds, cacao nibs) and they shouldn't taste of coconut (yes, they can detect coconut oil).
So, yesterday before school I concocted two new recipes (yes, it was a miracle) and made two very different kinds of flapjack in a bid to please everyone in the house. The flapjacks in the second picture were a big surprise. I was amazed, because:
a) The kids loved them
b) They keep asking for them
c) They're deceptively healthy (sugar free, nut free, loaded with nutrients)
d) They didn't crumble to bits
Kid friendly flapjacks
200g (1 cup) butter, melted
3/4 cup agave syrup
4 cups oats
1/2 cup ground seed (flax, chia) mix
1 heaped tsp cinnamon
Olive oil or melted butter for greasing
Preheat the oven to 320 degrees.
Add the butter to a pan over a medium/ low heat and when it's melted add the agave syrup.
Measure oats and add in ground seed (this fooled my kids as it was hard to detect so I'd look out for it if yours are fussy too. Otherwise try grinding your own in a blender/ coffee grinder). Add cinnamon.
Pour the butter and syrup into the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Lightly oil a brownie pan with olive oil or melted butter and then press the oat mixture into the tin until the top of the mixture is even.
Bake for around 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges are nicely browned.
Cool in the tin and cut into squares or bars.
The next lot of flapjacks - the ones in the second picture - are a much moister bar, sticky with coconut and studded with cranberries, currants and raw chocolate nibs. They're a perfect 'in a rush' healthy breakfast and go equally well with lattes and green smoothies. I like to think of them as a more adult version on the flapjack theme - mainly because they're not so sweet. I like them like this, but simply add more agave if you want to up the syrup factor.
Hippie healthy flapjacks
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen) if you can get it. If not unsweetened finely shredded coconut will do
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup agave syrup
4 cups oats
1/3 cup ground seed mix (see above)
Small handfuls of cacao nibs, cranberries and currants (or dried cherries or blueberries, dark chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or whatever you fancy)
Preheat oven to 320 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix the mashed banana, coconut, and coconut milk. It should be quite runny and very sticky.
Add the agave syrup.
Next add in the oats and seed mix. And stir to combine.
Finally, add your dried berries, nibs and whatever else you think will taste good. And mix well to distribute throughout the sticky oats.
Press into a large shallow cake tin or brownie pan until the surface is even.
Bake for around 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges are nicely browned.
Cool in the tin and cut into squares or bars.