Posts tagged raisin

Banana Oaties

Comments Off on Banana Oaties read Sweet Treats
Banana Oaties

I

f I told you these were “healthy flapjacks” your expectations would be skewed. Think of these instead like either a baked banana porridge or baked overnight oats…disguised as a flapjack. They have quite a dense texture and are delicious and extremely moreish eaten with a cup of tea. They aren’t too sweet and are the perfect use of those leftover bananas when you’re fed up of banana bread.

I’ve made 2 x batches of these now and rapidly packaged up the most recent one into the freezer as the first batch didn’t even make it to the freezer bag before we devoured it! Helpfully, this stash will be ideal for both my husbands endurance cycling, packed with slow release energy, as well as my impending postpartum life (hopefully!) over the next week! Energy will be needed!

*If you’re feeling they need a bit of indulgence or sweetness, try dipping them in melted chocolate and chilling in the fridge. You can also substitute the raisins/coconut for anything else you fancy such as chocolate chips or finely diced dried fruit of choice.

Makes about 12

  • 250g jumbo oats (better here the large they are, not the ground ones)
  • 3 bananas
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 50g butter, melted
  • 50g of raisins / desiccated coconut (I’ve made a batch of each now)
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  1. Line a baking tray/dish (approx 24cm x 24cm or similar size in rectangle) in parchment. Preheat the oven to 200.
  2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork until they form a paste.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients, adding the melted butter last. Mix thoroughly until everything comes together.
  4. Spoon the mixture into the baking tray, and press it into the corners. Smooth the surface with the back of a wet spoon.
  5. Bake for 18 minutes until just beginning to go golden on top.
  6. Leave to cool completely before cutting into slices.

Tiffin

Comments Off on Tiffin read Sweet Treats
Tiffin

T

iffin sits with a lot of childhood memories for me. I think its been overtaken by its more indulgent, American cousin rocky road in recent times but a traditional brandy punching tiffin is a winner. I do wonder if my childhood tiffin was quite as alcoholic.

Its a rich treat so be warned! You can make all sorts of substitutions to this recipe and its completely open to personalising. For example, its traditionally made using Digestive biscuits but I rather like the spice of a ginger nut and the contrast to the brandy.  I’ve made some suggestions below on how to adapt but feel free to go wild.

  • 50g dried cranberries (or try raisins)
  • 75g dates, chopped
  • 4 tbsp brandy (or try Amaretto)
  • 350g dark cooking chocolate
  • 150g unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp golden syrup
  • 250g biscuits – traditionally digestives but I use ginger nuts. You need a plain biscuit though so no oreos or custard creams.
  • Zest of 1/2 orange
  1. Grease and line a brownie tin or round 20.5cm tin with parchment
  2. Put the cranberries, dates and brandy in a bowl and let them soak for 20-30 minutes
  3. Melt 125g of the butter, 200g of the chocolate and the syrup in a bowl over simmering water stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat.
  4. Crush the biscuits – I like to put them in a sandwich bag and bash them with a rolling pin. You get some large and small chunks and a bit of biscuit dust.
  5. Add the biscuits, orange zest, a pinch of salt and the cranberry/date mix (including the brandy) to the chocolate and stir well.
  6. Tip into the tin and level the mixture pushing it into the corners. Leave to cool before chilling for 1 hour.
  7. To make the topping, melt the remaining 25g butter and 150g chocolate in a bowl over simmering water until smooth.
  8. Pour over the chilled tiffin and smooth it out. Chill for 2-3 hours until the topping is set.
  9. Remove from the fridge and cut into generous chunks and enjoy with a cup of tea on a blue Monday – it’ll help!