Easy Healthy High Fibre Flapjack Bars

Packed with a variety of seeds, almonds, apricots, several dried fruits and lots of oats, these healthy high fibre flapjack bars and really easy to make and great for when you want a tasty snack but without the guilt!

I have come up with flapjacks that are not only full of healthy high fibre flapjack bar goodness but they contain just enough sweetness to ensure they are truly irresistible.

These high fibre flapjack bars are very similar to granola bars, but far tastier!

And you don't have to feel guilty because they are good for you too.

Sure they are full of nuts, seeds, oats and various dried fruits, but they are chewy and tasty and sweet and just truly deeeelish. So you can have your healthy high fibre flapjack bar and eat it!

So it is now mid January. Christmas festivities done and despite it being a quiet festive season, I still seem to have achieved expansion in the waist line area. So, once more, the fat jeans have been retrieved from the back of the wardrobe in defeat.

Hence the reason to bake a healthy snack.

My thin jeans sit at one end of the wardrobe, spying on me every time I open the doors. I did actually manage to cram myself into a pair last year. Despite having to free the top button from its intense grip after about half an hour I still hold this up as a success story.

So a new year. Start over again time. Time to get ourselves healthier again. That muggy over-stuffed feeling of the festive season is still hanging on but my healthy flapjack bars will give you a health boost whilst still be joyously tasty.

I really did genuinely feel the need to bake something that felt it was doing me good. Having tried several recipes I came up with this one which is a granola meets flapjack and kinda meet in the middle in a compromise.

Other reasons that make these healthy bars so great they are:

• easy and quick to make;
• they last for a week in an airtight container;
• they are a perfect snack any time of the day;
• great for kids lunch boxes.

Did you know...

The Oxford English Dictionary notes that the word flapjack was originally used to describe a flat tart or pancake back at the start of the 17th century. It's way later though, in 1935, that it becomes synonymous with an oat based food. So the flapjack has been around in one form or another for quite some time.

Why do these healthy high fibre flapjack bars work so well?

Toasting the nuts and seeds first - this gives these healthy high fibre flapjack bars a lovely toasted slightly popcorn-like flavour which works really well and makes them a bit different. The aroma is divine as they toast too.

Oats - you can just use porridge oats or a mix of porridge and rolled oats. Rolled oats do not hold together all that well but when mixed with porridge oats they are fine.

Demerara sugar - this works really well with these bars giving them both flavour and crunch.

Beaten egg - beat the egg so that it is fully combined, this then binds the flapjacks together.

Important to remember when making these healthy flapjack bars

Toasting the nuts and seeds - you must remember to stir continually whilst toasting them though as they will easily burn, then put them into a bowl to cool, so they don't continue cook.

Press down the flapjacks it the tin - when I first started making flapjacks I made the rookie error of not pressing down firmly enough, meaning they were prone to becoming slightly dilapidated when removed from the tin. Press down firmly and everything and they bond together better.

Other variations

I am a big believer is using what you have. So if you don't have the exact ingredients just swap them with something similar. You could substitute with or dried prunes for example. Or change the nuts for pecans maybe. Or try using dried apples or pears, anything goes, but do stick to the same quantities to ensure the end result doesn't become too dry.

So this won't take long as these are so easy...

Making these healthy flapjack bars is a total doddle.

It really is a case of:

• line your tin with greaseproof paper;
• weigh out all of your ingredients and roughly chop up your almonds and apricots, but not too small you want be aware of their existence both for taste and because they look pretty;
• toast the nuts and almonds for a few minutes;
• melt the butter and syrup gently, do not boil, as soon as it's melted it's ready
• mix all of the other dry ingredients together, add the cooled nuts and then pop the lot into the butter and golden syrup mixture, give it a good mix and put tip into your tin;
• press down firmly and bake for about 15-20 mins
• score the top once out of the over into the slices you want (only free down a few millimetres), leave to cook and then cut into slices or squares.

I'd say this really is one to get the kids involved in. Hopefully it will entice them to try to finished produce at the end too!

📖 Recipe