MAKE SURE YOUR next race really bears fruit: these strawberry bars provide a perfect pre-event energy boost. “Making your own energy bars not only saves money but means you can use natural ingredients packed with nutrients – dried fruit, nuts and oats,” says nutritionist Anita Bean. “Commercial bars contain processed carbs, like maltodextrin, glucose syrup and a host of other ingredients that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen. More importantly, homemade bars taste better!”
The berries – which have a unique blend of polyphenols, minerals and vitamin C – might also help fight harmful cholesterol, according to a recent review of multiple studies, published in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry. Stick them in an airtight tin and they will keep for a week.
While the bars are relatively high in fat – 9g per slice – each has only around 779 kilojoules, and a very high 11g of energy-delivering sugar,
Ingredients
100g unsalted butter
50g light muscovado sugar, unrefined
100g clear honey
100g dried strawberries
60g mixed seeds
40g chopped nuts
200g oats
50g plain flour
5tbsp reduced-sugar strawberry jam
Method
1 Heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
2 Line a 20x20cm baking tray or brownie tin with greaseproof paper. Heat the butter, sugar and honey in a pan until all melted together.
3 In a mixing bowl, combine the dried strawberries, seeds, nuts, oats and flour. Stir in the butter mixture.
4 Pour half the mixture into the baking tray and spread out evenly. Press with the back of a spoon to compact. Spread the jam over the flapjack. Pour the rest of the mixture on top and spread to the corners, compacting with a spoon.
5 Bake for 35 minutes until golden on top and set aside to cool before cutting into squares or bars.
Makes
16 bars
Prep time
10 minutes
Cooking time
35 minutes
