Fruity, cakey, low GI vanilla oat bars (recipe)

Here’s a very quick recipe for oat bars (flapjacks, if you’re in the UK) that is crispy on the outside and cakey in the middle – yum.

As they’re packed with oats and fruit, these oat bars are great for an energy boost. The recipe also uses a fruit sugar syrup made from natural fruit sugars that contains 25% fewer calories and a low GI – so these bars should release energy slowly, without the highs and lows you get with sugary snacks.

I used soya margarine as I’m aiming for a dairy-free diet, but you could use butter if you wanted to.

Here’s what to do to make these delicious oat bars.

Ingredients

Equipment

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan-assisted, 400F)
2. In a saucepan, melt the margarine, vanilla, spice and syrup over a low heat until completely dissolved
3. Stir in the fruit and heat for a further minute, then stir in the oats
4. Transfer the mixture to a small greased loaf tin and press down gently
5. Bake for 15 minutes, then leave to cool
6. When almost cooled, tip out and cut into six bars with a sharp knife

Enjoy!

I made these with a view to taking them to work as healthy snacks, but they’re so tasty we ate them straight away. Stored in an airtight container, they should last a few days (assuming you have more willpower than us).

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5 from 1 vote

Fruity, cakey, low GI vanilla oat bars

Here’s a very quick oat bar recipe (flapjacks, if you’re in the UK) that is crispy on the outside and cakey in the middle – yum.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: cakes and bakes

Cuisine: British

Keyword: flapjacks, oat bars

Servings: 6 bars

Calories: 319kcal

Author: Emily Leary

Ingredients

• 100 g (3.5 oz) margarine plus a little extra for greasing the tin
• 100 g (3.5 oz) fruit sugar syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 100 g (3.5 oz) mixed dried fruit
• 215 g (7.6 oz) Scottish porridge oats

Equipment

• Weighing scales
• Measuring spoons
• Large saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• Small loaf tin
• Kitchen knife

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan-assisted, 400F).
• In a saucepan, melt the margarine, vanilla, spice and syrup over a low heat until completely dissolved.
• Stir in the fruit and heat for a further minute, then stir in the oats.
• Transfer the mixture to a greased small loaf tin and press down gently.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then leave to cool.
• When almost cooled, tip out and cut into six bars with a sharp knife.

Notes

Store-bought mixed dried fruit – the kind you use in a lot of Christmas recipes – works perfectly in this recipt, but you can use any other dried fruit you fancy. I love using dried cranberries, strawberries and chopped dates and apricots in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 647IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 2mg

* Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published. Cuisines identify the primary region of inspiration for a dish.

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