Baking & Puds
Superfood Energy Bars
It’s the Easter holidays and me and the kids have been adventuring by train. The children are in heaven with a hot chocolate and an almond croissant but I always need to take my own more suitable food.
That brings me to the reason for my post. What to eat when travelling? We all know that the options- like almond croissants- are not suitable for us dieters. And we often end up either starving or seeking solace in a chocolate bar or packet of crisps.
One of my favourite tasty, filling and train-suitable breakfasts is Superfood Energy Bars. These are made with oats and nuts and apricots so are really filling. Instead of butter and sugar, light condensed milk is used so these are pretty low fat too. Yes there’s sugar in the condensed milk but this is balanced out by the other wholesome ingredients.
These cereal bars are so much better for you than shop bought and a fraction of the cost. They can easily be wrapped in cling film for easy transport. I’ve used a 10” round tin to make segments but a 10” square tin would work just as well to make 16 bars. The bars can then be kept in an air-tight container for up to a week. Or wrap individually for a portable snack.
Superfood Energy Bars
146 calories
MAKES 16 BARS • READY IN 45 MINUTES
½ tsp sunflower oil (14 cals)
1 x 400g (14oz) can light condensed milk (1116 cals)
200g (2 1/4 cups) rolled (porridge) oats (740 cals)
20g (3/4 oz) chia seeds (97 cals)
20g (3/4 oz) flax seeds (110 cals)
20g (3/4 oz) sesame seeds (115 cals)
80g (2 3/4 oz) dried apricots, chopped (142 cals)
• Pre-heat the oven to 160C/140C fan.
• Use a square or round 10” tin, silicone or loose bottomed work really well. If you don’t have either of those, line the base of the tin with a sheet of baking parchment. Put a dribble of oil into the tin and wipe round with some kitchen paper.
• Heat the condensed milk gently in a small saucepan. Warm through until just steaming but not bubbling. This takes about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile place the oats, seeds and chopped apricots in a large mixing bowl and combine together.
• When the condensed milk is warm, pour over the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly. • Scoop the mixture into the tin and press into the edges so you get an even spread.
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for 40-50 minutes until just a little bit golden on top.
• Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before carefully tipping out onto a chopping board.
• Use a very sharp knife to cut into 16 equal portions while still warm. Leave to cool completely before either transferring to an air-tight container or wrapping individually in cling film.
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