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Snacking is my downfall, so I wanted to create recipes where I could have my favourite treats with less guilt. Flapjacks remind me of coming home from school to a warm kitchen and being surrounded by a sugary smell that would instantly put me into a state of bliss. Bit dramatic? Well that was the 80s for you.
My mum made the best flapjacks, but they were so full of sugar. Much as that created a disco in my mouth, I was very skinny with a higher metabolism then. Now I’m taking the long walk along the road to menopause, I need to ignore the heightened sugar cravings and teach my body to love it a bit less.
I tested these out on my 9 year old. He has my sugar-loving gene, like most 9 year olds. He loved them and was asking for two in his packed lunch. I felt that may be a slippery slope. One is quite enough for a healthy, filling snack. You could even have it as breakfast on the go.
These are thinner than your average flapjack. The thicker ones mean you may eat more in one mouthful, Taking smaller, more frequent mouthfuls would take longer and be subsequently more satiating.
Flapjacks will always have a place in my heart, because of the memories I associate with them. Have them with a cuppa or on the go. Let them nourish you in the sweetest way.
How Has the Sugar Been Reduced?
Less syrup has been used by adding alternatives, such as bananas, raisins and dried apricots, which provide more nutrients, but still satisfy a sweet tooth.
Recipe Tips
Don’t worry about mashing the banana too smoothly. It will melt into the rest of the ingredients in the oven. A few lumps of banana will also help to give that homemade texture.
Ingredients
- 3 Apples
- 150 ml Cold Water
- 2 Bananas
- 8 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 400 g Oats
- 4 Dried Apricots
- 4 tbsp Raisins
Instructions
- Set the oven at Gas Mark 4 or 180C.
- Peel and core 3 Apples.
- Chop the Apples and put them in a large pan (big enough to hold the Oats later) with 150ml Cold Water.
- Cook on a low simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until the Apples go mushy and the Water has been absorbed. Add a little more water, if it is absorbed before they go mushy.
- Mash 2 Bananas.
- Add 8 tbsp Maple Syrup and the mashed Bananas to the Apples and continue to heat on a low simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat.
- Chop 4 Dried Apricots into small pieces. The more pieces, the wider their distribution throughout the mixture.
- Add 400g Oats, 4 tbsp Raisins and the chopped Dried Apricots to the pan and mix until all ingredients are combined.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper a little bit bigger than a baking tray (the inside measurement of the tray used for this recipe was 32cm x 22cm).
- Lay the parchment paper in the tray and put a dollop of the mixture in each corner. This weighs the paper down to make it easier for tipping the rest of the mixture in.
- Tip the rest of the mixture in and spread evenly to fill the baking tray. Press down to compact the mixture.
- Bake in the middle of the oven at Gas Mark 4 or 180C for 35 minutes.
- Cool in the baking tray and cut into 12 individual flapjacks.