Breakfast “to go” Bars

Breakfast is my number one priority meal of the day and I won’t miss it, even if I’m leaving an alpine hut before dawn! But I do know that lots of folk struggle to eat first thing and so I’m always trying to figure out new ways to tempt them to eat in the morning!  There are so many recipes out there for “flapjack” style bars but many are alarmingly laden with syrup or honey.  So I started playing around with ingredients, throwing in some sweet potato and banana to provide natural sweetness and keep them moist as well.  I first served them at my 1-day reboot retreat last week and EVERYONE wanted the recipe so, after some further refinements, here it is.  If you give it a go then do let me know what you think!

Preheat the oven to 165°C  and then grease and line a 20cm square baking tin.

Start by preparing the base; melt the coconut oil in a large pan then add the honey and nut butter, stirring until well mixed.  Then add the mashed sweet potato (I bake mine whole and then scoop out the flesh but you could also peel and then cut the potato into chunks and steam).  Mix well and then add the mashed banana, spices, salt and dates.  Finally stir in the oats, seeds and nuts.  When the mixture is well blended, turn it into your prepared tin.  Smooth the surface and press the mixture into the corners of the tin to ensure you have a firm edge once cooked.

Mix all the topping ingredients together in a medium-size bowl and then scatter evenly over the top of the base.  Gently press the topping into the base allowing some of the topping to become partially submerged.  This will help to ensure the bars hold together well after baking.

Bake for around 45 -55 minutes, checking after 40 minutes.  When cooked a sharp knife should come out clean.  Leave until completely cold before removing from the tin and cutting into bars.  The bars keep for 2-3 days if stored in the fridge but you can wrap the bars individually in baking parchment and foil before freezing for up to a month.