It can be frustratingly difficult to find a healthy flapjack recipe that isn’t loaded with butter, sugar or syrup. If you would rather not load up on these ingredients, here is an alternative recipe to try.
Here’s why they are so great:
Super quick to prepare the mixture
No sugar, syrup or butter.
Ripe bananas and raisins add the sweetness.
If you feel the need for some extra sweetness, you can some honey, but you really don’t need too much.
Oats provide soluble fibre to keep you feeling full up, reduce cholesterol, keep your digestive system healthy and blood sugar levels steady.
Berries/Raisins are choca-block full of antioxidants and fabulous phytochemicals
Seeds/peanut butter are full of protein and healthy fats.
Top tip 1 For a seriously healthy and delicious Bircher Muesli breakfast, keep a few tablespoons of the pre cooked mixture in a bowl overnight in the fridge. In the morning, loosen with more milk.
Basic Flapjack Ingredients (makes about 9): each provides 90 calories, 1.5g fat, 15g carbohydrate, 3g protein
150ml milk – or a milk alternative e.g. soya, almond, rice milk etc.
2 mashed bananas – the riper the better as sweeter and easier to mash
150g porridge oats (about 2 handfuls)
Ideas for optional extras:
a handful of whole/chopped/ground up sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1 heaped teaspoon of cinnamon
a tablespoon of cocoa powder
a handful raisins or cranberries
a few tablespoons of dessicated coconut
1 cup frozen berries (defrosted)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed with a little extra milk (very good for constipation!)
For extra protein e.g. as post exercise snack, you can add a scoop of protein powder
Mix all the ingredients together. Put in to cake tin lined with greaseproof paper, or silicone bun cases. You can also make them in to cookies by placing the mixture in cookie shaped blobs on the greaseproof paper.
It can sometimes be a bit tricky to peel the greaseproof paper off, so you can grease the paper first with some oil.
Bake for about 40 minutes at 170 degrees C. Or until they are browning and you can smell the lovely aroma……..this is my method to check for readiness as I usually forget to look at the time I put them in! Enjoy playing around with variations of ingredients.