Lemon and Coconut Oat Bars
Question: when does a flapjack become a granola bar? It is something that I found myself pondering over whilst trying to decide what to call these bars, that probably fall somewhere between the two. I'm very fond of making these sort of bars for pack ups and snacks on the go. They're reasonably robust and don't mind being knocked about in bags. The ingredients list is nice and short, and doesn't require baking, making these bars a quick recipe to whip up. Whilst they're hardly calorie free, the combination of oats and nut butter means that they're reasonably satiating and should tide you over any 4pm slump until dinner. For more sweet snacks, why not give my spelt and blueberry scones, chocolate quinoa cake, or banana bread a try?
I've chosen cashew butter over peanut or almond as it has the most neutral taste, and so allows other ingredients to shine. For a summery flavour, I've combined two of my favourite sweet flavours -lemon and coconut -for the perfect sweet snack. Feel free to play around with other flavours and nut butters, or just stick to a plain peanut butter bar, for an easy and budget friendly snack. It doesn't really matter what kind of sugar you use here as long as it is in syrup form -this is what binds the mixture together, alongside the nut butter. I've used Coconut Merchant's coconut nectar "honey", which is delicious.
- 2 cups / 240g oats
- 3/4 cup / 75g desiccated coconut
- 1/2 cup / 160g coconut nectar honey
- 1/2 cup / 125g cashew butter
- Zest of one lemon
- Pinch of salt
- Preheat the oven to 180c fan / 160c conventional / gas mark 3. Grease and line a baking tray.
- Whisk the cashew butter and coconut nectar together over a Bain Marie until smooth.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
- Press the mixture flat into the baking tray, and bake for around 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly before cutting into slices and enjoy!
What's your favourite flavour combination? I'm also tempted to make these with lemon zest and dried blueberries!