Fruit & Nut Flapjacks

As much as I love desserts and cakes full of sugar and butter and as unhealthy as possible - I think it's always a good idea to balance this out with some healthier sweet bakes. Now come on, don't roll your eyes and ignore this post - these flapjacks are packed full of fresh and dried fruit as well as protein from the nuts and they're tasty. If you're not a fan of eating fresh fruit, you won't even notice them in this recipe, just the nutritional goodness you get from them. There are no refined sugars in this recipe - just honey, maple syrup and peanut butter (OK, maybe it's not completely healthy..) and these flavours really standout in the final product.

Just look at them there, lovely and golden through the delicious sugars caramelising in the oven. The oats on the top are flavourful and crunchy while the centre remains gooey with fruit and peanut butter. They are great, and here's how you make them.

Ingredients

• 275g of rolled Scottish oats
• 1 x very ripe large banana (if small, use two), mashed
• 1 x apple, peeled and grated
• 1 x tablespoon of honey 
• 2 x tablespoons of maple syrup
• 2 x tablespoons of peanut butter (smooth or chunky, whatever you enjoy)
• Large handful of dried apricots, cut roughly
• Large handful of raisins
• Large handful of walnuts, cut roughly
• 40g of unsalted butter
• 100ml of hot water

Method

1. Firstly, get your oven on, 140C with fan (160C without) and allow to heat up. Also, prepare your tin - grease a 25x18x4 baking tray with a drop of rapeseed oil and line with grease-proof paper. Put to one side. 
2. Pop a pan on a medium heat and drop the butter in and allow to melt. Once melted, add the honey, peanut butter and maple syrup and stir thoroughly until you have a thick, brown mixture.  Once ready, throw in the mashed banana, grated apple and water and, again, stir thoroughly until you have an evenly dispersed fruity mixture. Take off the heat while you prepare the oats. 
3. In a large bowl, measure out your oats, dried fruit and nuts and slowly add the fruity mixture whilst stirring. Make sure the consistency of your mixture remains relatively moist - if it seems a bit dry, add another tablespoon of maple syrup to loosen it up slightly. 
4. Pour the whole lot into your prepped baking tin. with a spatula, spread the mixture out evenly across the tray so it all bakes evenly. Pop in the oven and allow to bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden. 
5. Once ready, allow to cool in the tray. Once cooled, cut into 12 slices and store in an air-tight container. Or just eat them - it's fine they're healthy. 

This recipe is extremely versatile. I chose apricots, raisins and walnuts because I like them - feel free to chop and change the recipe to suit your personal preference. To make it super healthy, pumpkin seeds would work perfectly with the oats. Or, if you fancy going the other way, why don't you break up some dark chocolate and throw it in the mixture? 

So, if you're trying to be healthy and you're craving a sweet snack or if you simply enjoy fruity desserts, this recipe is for you. Don't worry, this certainly is not a health blog and some gloriously unhealthy recipes will be up very soon.