Intended as something between a flapjack and a cake, it is vegan and doesn’t add any fat or unrefined sugar. Of course it’s a riot of calories with over half of the ingredients being dried fruit but still it’s pretty “raw” as sweet snacks go.
Ingredients#
- 375g (one pack) Whittard Stoned Dates
- 275g porridge oats
- 100g ground almonds
- 25g dessicated coconut
- 100g sultanas
- 1 ball of stem ginger (sold ‘in syrup’ so not very unrefined, but yummy)
- About 10fl oz of water
- 1 capfull of vanilla extract
- A hand full of mixed seeds to decorate
Directions#
The night before soak the dates in a bowl. Hot water makes this happen a bit faster, they should be a slushy mess the next day.
Chop 1 ball of the stem ginger into tiny pieces. It’s very strong so larger chunks can be a little too surprising.
Add all the ingredients to a bowl, and mix.
Add enough water to make it sticky like a dense porridge and moist enough to fall off the spoon.
Line a baking tray with either baking parchment or foil. I like to add a drop of olive oil in case it sticks.
Put the mixture in the baking tray then smoosh it flat with the back of a wooden spoon. This is fun, and you can eat it off the spoon.
Drop some seeds on the top to make it look pretty.
Cook in a preheated over on the middle shelf for about 20-30 minutes at about 180 centigrade. If it’s a shallow baking tray about 20 minutes. It should get a bit golden, with maybe a touch of burn on the edges if you like it dryer.
Leave to cool after cooking before slicing up.
I’ve found these ingredients lend themselves to a wider, shallower baking tray and a less deep slice. Too deep will result in it being very dense and a bit too threatening.
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Other ideas.#
You could use the date/oat base with some other ingredients.
- Banana and walnut
- Vanilla essence
- Mixed spice
- Swap out the sultana for more exciting dried fruits such as apricot or cranberry
- Fresh blueberries