A love of flapjack

I absolutely love flapjack. There you go, it’s out there now! I’ve never been hugely into sweet things, desserts, cakes, any of that really BUT, I do love flapjack.

It has to be good flapjack though, otherwise it’s just not worth the calories.

As much as flapjack is a much better choice than many sweet things, it can also be quite high in sugar and fat.

Re-thinking the ingredients

Recently I’ve been playing around with flapjack ingredients to try and come up with something that packs a healthy punch, fuels the body full of good stuff and is full of healthy fats and lower in bad stuff.

I never weigh anything when I cook or bake, so everything it done on eye. It’s always ‘a cup of this’ and ‘a splash of that’ or ‘a spoon of something else’. That’s how my grandmother approached things in the kitchen and I guess I picked up on it.

Try this out

1. Start off by taking 4 tablespoons of coconut oil and melting it in a pan. Coconut oil has all sorts of benefits including being anti-fungal and anti-viral and it is considered a ‘healthy’ fat.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and stir until it is well mixed and dissolved.
3. Add approximately 500g of oats, I normally use about half of the large 1k bags – mix until well covered and remove from the heat.
4. Stir in three tablespoons of chia seeds – these are a great source of protein, Omega 3 and fibre. Chia seeds can aid weight loss and are considered one of the most nutritious foods on the planet.
5. Stir in approximately half of a 340g jar of honey – honey can benefit the body in so many ways, it is full of antioxidants and is also anti-fungal.
6. Finally add in a cup of frozen blueberries (defrosted) and 2-3 mashed bananas (depending on their size) – blueberries are full of antioxidants, low in calories but high in nutrients. They are loaded with Vitamin C and Vitamin K and are great for the memory. Bananas also contain important antioxidants, they support good digestive health and help you feel fuller for longer.
7. Mix everything together and then push down into a rubber baking tray or whatever your preference happens to be – bake on around 180c for about 20-25 minutes.
8. Leave to cool and then cut into wedges!

The nice thing about this flapjack is how moist it is. The mashed banana and blueberries mean it doesn’t dry out in the oven.

We’ve run out so I’m off to bake some more – it’s one of those things the children can get involved in, they love to bake this and the banana mashing is always their favourite part.