I made these bars for my family the other weekend because they were about to embark on a walking holiday across Pembrokeshire coast. My Dad, Brother and I have been on a lot of trekking holidays over the years, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to join them this year. So instead I sent them packing with these Choc ‘n’ Nut Energy bars for those wet and soggy days when they need a pick me up.
These bars are composed of a sweet, wholesome, oaty flapjack base, layered with chunks of nuts encasing pockets of dark chocolate. I can assure you that these bars will definitely give you an instant boost when you’re feeling a bit low on energy. What’s more they’re also gluten free so they will be easier to digest as they don’t contain wheat.
I made a point of leaving half the chocolate and nuts in large pieces as I wanted these ingredients to stand out from the flapjack base and also provide an obvious crunch. I like a breakfast/energy bar to have boulder like pieces of nuts/fruits/chocolate etc so that I know I’m being inundated with nutty goodness.
I added half the chocolate and nuts to the flapjack and then scattered the remaining half on top.
(This recipe makes 12 bars)
INGREDIENTS:
- 250g gluten free rolled oats
- 150g coconut oil (melted)
- 50g unrefined brown sugar
- 100ml maple syrup/honey
- 100g brazil nuts
- 50g cashew nuts
- 100g dark chocolate or cacao nibs
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees or for a fan oven 160. Grease an 8 or 9 inch square cake tin and line it with greaseproof paper.
2. In preparation chop half the nuts into large chunks and the other half smaller as these will be incorporated into the flapjack base. Break half the chocolate into large squares and the other half into smaller pieces.
3. In a pan add the coconut oil, sugar and maple syrup and cook over low heat, stirring to combine. Then let it come to a rolling boil for a minute before pouring in the oats and the smaller pieces of nuts and chocolate.
4. Spoon into the tin, press the mixture into all the corners and make sure the flapjack is level. Then scatter over the remaining nuts and dot the large pieces of chocolate in between. Finally press it lightly into the flapjack so that the nuts won’t fall off when cut into bars.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a pale golden colour.
6. Once cooked take out of the oven and score it into thin bars whilst still warm. Leave it in the tin for 15 minutes then allow to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
7. These bars will last up to a week stored in an airtight tin.
