My weekend baking frenzy did not go entirely as planned. In fact one could say it was an unmitigated disaster.
I am not sure just how I managed to excel in failure 😣 – I’d be given a first class degree with honours if they were giving out awards.
I started off with the best of intentions and ended up razing something precious to the ground.
Hmm…
But somehow I still managed to bake…
I’d wanted to bake using the dried figs that I’d bought from Costco and I’d found a recipe in a cook book bought for me by a friend a decade ago Jo Wheatley – ‘Homebaking’. Oaty Fruit Squares.
The recipe was fairly easy to execute, especially with the help of my friend who diligently chopped up the figs, apricots and dates.
The final was result was very very sweet but somehow very very nice!
A week later and these bad boys are still sitting in the fridge. So I decided to put them in the Nutribullet with oat milk and ice. And voila – a perfect tasting high fibre drink…
Ingredients
- 250 g unsalted butter
- 175 g soft light brown sugar
- 150 g golden syrup
- 350 g oats
- 50 g pumpkin seeds
- 20 g sesame seeds
- 100 g dried apricots
- 100 g dried figs
- 50 g dried dates
Instructions
- Preheat THE OVEN TO 160oC/300oF/Gas Mark 2.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter sugar and syrup together over a gentle heat. Let the mixture bubble and reduce until thickened and syrupy.
- Meanwhile roughly chop the dried apricots, figs and dates and mix to combine.
- Combine the oats and seeds in a large bowl. Pour over the syrup and give the mixture a good stir with a wooden spoon. Take half the mixture and press into the lined baking tray.
- Spread the chopped and mixed fruit in an even layer over the oat bars and top with the remaining oats and seeds mixture. Press down firmly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and starting to firm at the edges.
- Remove from the oven and roughly mark out the squares while still warm. Leave to cool completely in the tin for at least 3 – 4 hours before serving.
Reference: Jo Wheatley, Home Baking, page 22
