Plum and oat bars

Plum and oat bars

These little flapjack bars from Soulful Baker will give anyone a much-required energy boost on a morning, or whenever needed throughout the day.

Ingredients (Makes 12–18 bars)

Use a 30 x 21cm (12 x 8½ inch) baking tin

150g (5½oz/⅔ cup/1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

50g (1¾oz/¼ cup) light soft brown sugar

10 tbsp golden syrup (light corn syrup)

400g (14oz/4½ cups) rolled oats

Pinch of salt

25g (1oz) crystallized (candied) ginger, finely chopped

50g (1¾oz/¼ cup) flaked almonds

50g (1¾oz/ ¼ cup) blanched whole almonds

5 plums (any variety), halved, stoned and cut into 1cm (½ inch) pieces

Method

Preheat the oven to 150°C fan/170°C/325°F/gas 3. Grease and line the baking tin (pan) with non-stick baking paper.

Melt together the butter, sugar and half the syrup, very gently heating until the sugar has completely dissolved. Set aside and leave to cool a little.

Place the oats along with a pinch of salt in a large bowl, stir through the ginger and both the flaked and blanched almonds and make a well in the centre. Pour the syrupy butter into the well and stir together until all is evenly combined. Add the plums, giving a brief mix through, then spoon the mixture into the lined tin. Press the mixture down to create an even layer, reaching right to the corners of the tin (pan). Bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, gently heat the remaining syrup in a small pan. After the 30 minutes baking, drizzle the molten syrup over the surface of the oats and return the tin (pan) to the oven to bake for a further 20 minutes.

Turn the oven down to 120°C fan/140°C/275°F/gas 1 and bake for about 30 minutes, or until hardened.

Leave in the tin until cooled and crisp, then cut into suitable bar-sized portions.

Remove and store in an airtight container, storing each slice between layers of non-stick baking paper.

Want more?

Check out Soulful Baker or try this date-nut breakfast tart recipe.