Festive Flapjacks

A tasty Christmas treat packed with nourishing ingredients and festive fun!

Ingredients

150g mixed dried fruit
200ml apple juice
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
250g oats (gluten free if required)
30g ground almonds
2 bananas mashed
1 apple grated
Zest of 1 orange
30g stem ginger finely diced
30g coconut oil
30g maple syrup
Optional toppings - stem ginger syrup or cinnamon sugar
(18 servings)

This makes a great pudding, snack after a wintery walk or you can even crumble one on some fruit and yogurt for breakfast.

Method

Pour the apple juice over the mixed dried fruit, add half the spices (1/4 teaspoon mixed spice and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon) and leave for an hour or so. This plumps up the fruit and makes it extra juicy!
Scoop out the dried fruit (keeping the juice aside for later) then mix with the oats, ground almonds, orange zest, grated apple, mashed banana, diced stem ginger, melted coconut oil and maple syrup.
You will then need to add some of the spiced apple juice to make the mixture moist enough to stick together and so you can spread it in the tin. I find about half the leftover juice works well.
Then add the rest of the spices (1/4 teaspoon mixed spice and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon). However, you can add and taste as you go to get a level that works for you.
Add to a lined baking tray (I’m using a 27cm x 18cm dish but you can use a different size depending on what you have or if you prefer a different thickness to your flapjacks). Try to push any dried fruit under the surface so it doesn’t burn when cooking.
Cook for around 30 minutes on 160°C fan oven. The top should start going light brown when it’s ready.
Allow to cool, cut into pieces and enjoy!
To add a finishing touch, you can brush the top with the syrup from the stem ginger or dust with a teaspoon of icing sugar mixed with cinnamon.

Handy hint! Standard oats are the right size to make sure your flapjacks stick together and not crumble apart but the jumbo ones add a nice texture. So I use a ratio of 200g standard to 50g jumbo oats. However, you can use all standard oats or if using jumbo ones I’d pulse some of them down.