I love flapjacks, but shop-bought ones are often laden with huge amounts of refined sugar, bad fats & contain paltry portions of nuts & seeds. Here is a simple, quick no-bake recipe which is much tastier, healthier & crammed with goodness. You wont want shop-bought anymore after tasting these! I love to make a batch on sunday & chill them in the fridge so I have healthy snacks throughout the working week.

These flapjacks are packed with juicy cranberries, crunchy pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, nutty flaxseed, protein powder & rolled oats, providing you with slow-release energy throughout the day & maintaining steady blood sugar levels. The nut butter adds depth of flavour & helps these bars stick together.

They make a great morning breakfast bar, a healthy addition to packed lunch boxes, a sustaining afternoon snack & are great as pre-work out energy bars.

Preparation time: 15 mins

Chilling time: 20 mins

Makes approx 12 bars

Ingredients

200g pitted dried dates

150g dried figs

240g rolled oats, gluten-free if required

75g almonds

30g pumpkin seeds

10g sunflower seeds

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

2 tbsp protein powder (pea, soy, organic sunflower & whey varieties worth beautifully)

40g dried cranberries

100ml honey or vegan substitute. eg. agave

120g peanut butter (cashew & almond butter also work well)

Method

Line a 26cm X 16cm rectangular baking tray with greaseproof paper & lightly grease with a little coconut oil.

Place pitted dates, figs, rolled oats, & almonds in a food processor & blitz to chop up into little pieces. Pour into a mixing bowl.

Add seeds, ground flaxseed, protein powder (pea, soy, organic sunflower or whey) & cranberries. Mix well.

Mix honey & peanut butter together in  a small bowl & then add to the seedy date mix. Mix thoroughly with your hands to form a stiff dough.

Transfer & press into the prepared baking tray & set in the fridge for about 20 mins.

Slice up into bars. Enjoy!

These keep fresh in the fridge in an airtight container for about 7-10 days.

Variations:

Add tart goldenberries instead of cranberries . These orange tangy fellows are packed with antioxidants & are lovely & chewy.

Use Chia seeds & or poppy seeds & chopped nuts instead of sunflower & pumpkin seeds

Use cashew or almond butter instead of peanut butter

Don’t forget you can find my favourite recipes in my FREE eBook here.