These healthy sugar-free flapjack bars are a brilliant energy-giving snack for kids. I came up with this recipe in response to a request from my 5-year-old for a ‘bar’ after school. He’s always ravenous and I wanted to give him something healthy that he would also consider a treat.
Although they are not overly sweet, he absolutely LOVES them which is a result all round!
They are made with mashed bananas which lend both sweetness and moisture, and are packed with protein from the peanut butter and added nuts.
If you want a sweeter bar, then by all means add a bit more maple syrup or honey. But while I can get away with it, I’ll add as little as I can.
You can cut them into whatever size bar or square you like. This made around 12 fingers but you could make 24 smaller squares instead.
Ingredients
200g oats (I use large whole rolled oats)
2 bananas (as ripe as possible)
3 tbsps peanut butter
75g dried apricots, chopped
50g nuts, chopped
2 tbsp date syrup (you could use maple syrup or honey instead if preferred)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas mark 4/350° F
- Line a square tin (approximately 20cm) with greaseproof paper.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana together with the peanut butter.
- Add the oats, apricots and nuts and combine well
- Pour the mixture into the tin and press down firmly, ensuring the surface is flat.
- Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, until starting to brown.
- Cut into fingers or squares while still warm and leave to cool in the tin.