Posted by Rosie
Ahhhhchooooo - Yup - I've got a cold I'm all bunged up and couldn't sleep so decided to while away the small hours with a post.
Yesterday I made number 11 from my 52 in 2010 challenge - Fruity Cereal Bars. With all the physical work he is doing Simon finds he needs a good energy snack to keep him going. Chocolate is all very well but I have been trawling my cookbooks to find something a bit healthier and these Fruity Cereal Bars seem to have hit the mark. That said I didn't quite have all the ingredients so adapted the recipe a bit as you'll see. I also think that a bit less flour and more oats would be nicer. Anyway this is the recipe from the book:
450g eating apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped (I used cooking apples)
50g stoned dated - coarsely chopped (I used raisins)
50g ready to eat dried apricots - chopped
100g mixed nuts chopped (I used flaked almonds and only 50g)
50g sultanas
75g rolled oats
3oz wholemeal SR flour (I used white)
25g desiccated coconut
25g sesame seeds (I didn't have any)
25g pumpkin seeds
90mls (6tbsp) apple juice (I used 1tbsp hedgerow jelly mixed with 5tbsps of water)
24mls (3tbsp) sunflower oil
Cook the apples in 1 tbsp water until very soft, stirring to evaporate any excess water
Mix together all the other ingredients, add the apple and beat well. (I also added 1tbsp of brown sugar as I had used a cooking apple)
Lightly grease an 18cm square tin and add the mixture. Level the surface and bake at 170 degrees C (Mark 3) on the low shelf of the oven for 40-50mins. Move to the top shelf for the last 10mins. When cooked the mixture will be slightly brown around the edges and feel firm to touch.
Mark into 8 bars while warm and leave to cool in the tin.
They are actually very filling and next time I might make them into 12 bars. I am also thinking what variations I could do - date and walnut would be nice and I was wondering if adding some ground almonds instead of some of the flour would work. I might even try stewed rhubarb or mashed pumpkin instead of the apple and crystallized ginger instead of the coconut could be tasty. What do you reckon?
This is my blog, A Green and Rosie Life, which is all about helping you live life that bit greener without having to build an off-grid log cabin in the woods or knit your own nettle fibre undies! It's about helping you make simple changes that together will make a big difference to our beautiful world and make it a better place for our children.
I reckon they sound yummy, and I like your adaptations for missing ingredients. It just shows that take the idea of a recipe and we can actually add or takeaway what we want as long as we stay within the outlines of the measurements.
ReplyDeleteI see lots of variations coming up!
Have a good day today, we have lovely weather here again today in Oxfordshire.
Sue xx
Sounds good. Have been meaning to make something like this for ages.
ReplyDeleteRosie made eight bars which were suppose to last me eight days and not eight hours and I did not eat them all (most but not all)
ReplyDeleteOh yum!!!! Ginger, put some ginger in the next batch - oh lovely. You are a fab wife!
ReplyDeleteHave just been told that the cereal bars the I ordered haven't come in so must remember to try this.
ReplyDeleteI was only being lazy not making them in the first place really
These sound fab; a bit like a mixture of flapjack and granola, with apple crumble thrown in for good measure!
ReplyDeleteHave been contemplating joining the 52 recipe gig after reading about it on Colour It Green; this may just decide me!
Do try these Earthenwitch - they really are delicious!
ReplyDelete