I know right? recipes where you don’t actually have to bake? These might be my favourite kind of recipes. Not that I am lazy or anything……liar.

Nuts are good for you (they do super things for your skin!) and who doesn’t love coconut in the summer season? these bars are perfect for a snack, particularly a picnic treat (Did you see Lauren’s “perfect” picnic feature earlier in the week?) and absolutely delicious.

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{Ingredients}
  • 100g dried ready-to-eat tropical medley or other mixed dried fruits
  • 100g porridge oats
  • 50g puffed rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
  • 85g desiccated coconut
  • 50g blanched hazelnuts or shelled peanuts or other nuts
  • 50g sunflower, sesame or pumpkin seeds
  • 100g light muscovado sugar
  • 125ml golden syrup
  • 100g butter, chopped up

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Method

  • Chop the tropical medley into pieces using kitchen scissors. Tip the oats, cereal, coconut and fruit into a large bowl and mix well, using a wooden spoon or clean hands.
  • Put the hazelnuts and sunflower, sesame or pumpkin seeds in a frying pan with no oil and, over a moderate heat, stir until they are lightly toasted. Leave to cool a little then tip into the bowl and mix.
  • Put the sugar, syrup and butter in a small pan and heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon until melted, then simmer for 2 minutes until slightly thicker and syrupy.
  • Quickly stir the syrup into the dry mix, stirring until it all starts to bind and there are no dry patches.
  • Quickly tip into a 20cm square tin and press down with the back of a spoon to even out the surface. Leave to cool and set – about 2 hours.
  • Cut the mixture into 6 one way and 3 the other to make 18 bars. Store in a tin, or wrapped tightly in foil for up to a week.
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