Chocolate fruit and nut flapjacks

Chocolate fruit and nut flapjacks

I make these at least twice a month, as they are a great way of using up a couple of dodgy, old bananas that look a bit too brown to eat. Everyone has those from time to time, don’t they?

This recipe is consistently reliable;  it works every time. The ingredients below are enough to make a thinnish layer of flapjacks in a 20cm baking tin.

In a smaller tin, maybe even a 2lb loaf tin, it would make a nice deep layer instead that you could cut into proper cubes of flapjack like wholesome, flavour-packed gobstoppers.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed.
• 1 cup rolled oats.
• ½ cup desiccated coconut.
• 2 tablespoons of maple or agave syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder.
• A large handful of raisins, chopped nuts or dark chocolate chips. Your choice, whatever you’ve got is fine. Dried apricots? Chop ’em up. Glace cherries? Yes please. Mixed peel? Certainly. Half a block of dark chocolate smashed into little pieces? Absolutely!

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/360F
2. Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl then add in the oats and the dessicated coconut. Mix everything together until well combined into a thick paste.
3. Add the maple syrup, the melted coconut oil and the cinnamon, and stir in well. Then add the cacao powder and mix it in thoroughly
4. Finally, add in your raisins, nuts, chocolate chips etc and mix them so that they are well distributed.
5. Press the batter down into a shallow baking tray or loaf tin and bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, then simply take them out and let them cool for half-an-hour. Better still, you can put them in the fridge for a couple of hours to set firm. When cooled, cut into chunks, squares, strips or whatever shape you prefer.
6. These last about 3-4 days in an airtight container, especially if they are kept in the fridge. You’ll have eaten them way before that, though.

 

 

Like this? Try these next:

• Apple and pear strudel (vegan, dairy-free)
• Blueberry, banana & walnut bread (Vegan malt loaf!)
• Bakewell Tart (vegan, dairy-free and damn delicious)

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