Thursday, 16 May 2013

Sugar Free Coconut Flapjacks

sugar free coconut oat bars
Traditional flapjacks, made with butter, sugar and golden syrup or honey are one of my favourite cheap and easy snacks to bake. Being full of oats and – the way I bake them – nuts and seeds, they always feel a little healthier than cakes and biscuits. But realistically, a few oats does not a healthy treat make. So how to make them healthier? Well, this recipe gets rid of the sugary things altogether, replacing them with brown rice syrup, and instead of regular butter you’ll find nut butter and coconut manna (whole coconut in a jar, sometimes called coconut butter).

I've made ‘healthy’ versions of flapjack before, usually by substituting some or all of the butter with apple sauce, but obviously these were still high in sugar. Plus, you end up with something quite tasty, but far more spongy in texture – not really anything like a traditional flapjack. This recipe, however, is the closest I've found to that traditional chewy, crumbly flapjack texture. The peanut butter is very subtle, with the coconut coming through more strongly (of course, you could experiment with adding more or less coconut as you prefer). Plus they're nice and sweet. They’re also surprising buttery in taste – I guess from the coconut manna and nut butter.

Definitely my favourite healthier flapjack recipe to date – and sugar-free, dairy-free and vegan to boot! 


sugar free oat bars
>> This recipe make a small batch of six 'fingers' of flapjack (as pictured). To bake these I used a lined 2lb loaf tin. For a bigger tray, and more flapjacks, just double the recipe. 

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp fine desiccated coconut
1 tbsp peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1 tbsp coconut manna/butter 
¼ cup brown rice syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract 

Bake it!
  1. Pre-heat oven to 200oC/180oC fan. Line your tin of choice. 
  2. Mix the rolled oats and coconut in a large bowl.
  3. Melt the peanut butter, coconut manna and brown rice syrup gently in a pan, stirring together. When liquid, add in the vanilla and pour over the oat mix. Stir well to combine. 
  4. Pour into the tray and use the back of a spoon to press down into an even layer. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until just turning golden brown. 
  5. Remove from oven and cut in the tray while still warm, before moving to a wire cooling rack. 

sugar free coconut flapjacks

Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Vintage Find: High Waisted Floral Skirt


I love this skirt. It cost me the princely sum of £12 from (truly) lovely vintage shop Threads on Bellenden Road in Peckham (I really must do a Bellenden Road shopping and eating guide some day - lots of nice places to pop into). It sits high on the waist and is, er, snug but not unwearably so. You can't really see in these pictures, but it is buttoned all the way down the front and comes to just above my ankles; perfect for swishing. I've taken to wearing long, high waisted skirts with little, sleeveless tops as often as possible. A little bit predictable perhaps, but as a friend said - if you find a style that suits you why not stick with it!

p.s. if you know anywhere that does good sleeveless button up shirts (that aren't see through) let me know. I need MORE!

Friday, 10 May 2013

Link Love #4



Not a huge amount of link love this week as a hectic schedule has left me with almost no time for catching up on blog reading. Boo. I did spot some gems on the sites I managed to read though, shared below for your clicking pleasure... 

>> The cute/funny/brilliant antics of mr chickpea and friends make me smile.

>> I have no idea what farro is, but this salad looks like a whole bunch of tasty goodness.

>> The Americans seem to be onto something here: bloomin' onions look bloomin' brilliant! (sorry).

>> New blog The Y Company is super slick, with lots of tips for a stylish, productive and happy working life.

Happy weekend everyone!

Thursday, 9 May 2013

Brilliant Blooms On University Park


Spotted these stunners on University Park in Nottingham at the weekend when we ventured out for a stroll around the lake there. Felt a bit of a prat getting right up to the flower bed to get a good close-up, but I couldn't let them go undocumented. I think these might be my favourite flowers of Spring so far.



Wednesday, 8 May 2013

John Lewis Baking Wishlist

When I was asked if I'd like to create a John Lewis wishlist on a topic of my choice, my first thought was (rather predictably) BAKING! Whiling away a few minutes (or longer, aherm) perusing the kitchen department of a John Lewis store, or clicking through this section of the website, is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. As regular readers will know, I'm a big fan of cooking and baking and am always on the look out for new gadgets to use in the kitchen. Here's my top pick of the range available at John Lewis.



1. Regular readers will know I'm a big fan of using the American cup system when baking; this must be the prettiest set of cups I've ever seen (£16).
2. This stylish little tin houses five different sizes of fluted cookie cutters. I'm getting the urge to bake scones just looking at it (£12).
3. Who wouldn't want to dress like a giant Tunnock's caramel wafer while baking? What a fabulous apron design (£17.95). 
4. Out of all the food processers John Lewis offers, this cute and colourful little Magimix one is definitely my favourite (£139.95).
5. I love the bold pop-art design of these Marmite tea towels - very reminiscent of the Lichtenstein exhibition currently at the Tate Modern (£12).
6. So twee it makes my teeth hurt a little, but I can't helping loving this Cath Kidston mixing bowl (£25).

Monday, 6 May 2013

And the winner is...




...bellaandwill! Please get in touch with your address details so I can get the book posted out to you!


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...