My daughter is a really keen baker. This is something to be encouraged for sure but as much as I love her efforts in the kitchen, she more often than not end up with stacks of sugary fairy cakes, topped with thick icing and sweets. I think you know exactly the ones I mean. With my ongoing enthusiasm for all things green and natural we attempted a new recipe for super healthy oatbars. The result? She loved it. The recipe below is really easy and you can add whatever fruit or nuts you have in your larder.

Ingredients (makes about 8 bars or 16 squares):

80 g butter

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup organic oats

1/2 tsp salt (pink Himalayan or sea salt)

3-4 dried apricots, cut into small pieces

Handful of organic raisins

Handful of dried cranberries

Handful of pecan nuts

Handful of pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup dried coconut flakes

Melt the butter on a low heat and add the maple syrup. Put the pecan nuts and pumpkin seeds in a food processor and mix until partially broken up – you don’t want them to be blended into a powder, just smaller chunks. Put the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl then add the crushed nuts and seeds. Pour the butter/syrup mixture into the bowl and stir everything together so it forms a sticky mixture. Line a baking tin with grease proof paper and  spoon the mixture onto tray evenly. Push down with potato masher to make surface even. Bake in a 180C oven for approx. 20 min. then cool and cut into bars or squares. Enjoy x