There's something wonderful about the smell of baking wafting through the house as biscuits, a cake or a slice cook in the oven. Having the tins full always makes me feel virtuous, especially if I've cooked something healthy I feel happy about eating every day.
Unfortunately, many biscuits and cakes have large amounts of butter or margarine and sugar in them, which I try to avoid eating too much of. And bought biscuits often have trans-fats which some health advisers consider more deadly than saturated fats such as butter.
Muesli slices have always been one of my favourites, but many recipes are so full of butter and sugar or golden syrup that they are almost as bad as biscuits.
Over a couple of years I've played around with various recipes, adapting them to be both quick and easy to make as well as flavoursome and healthy. This muesli slice has become my favourite.
It makes 18-50 pieces, depending on whether you cut it into larger bars or small squares, but I find it is so dense, a small square is enough with a cup of tea. It keeps well for two or three weeks in a tin.
The recipe uses a little oil instead of butter, honey and mashed dates instead of sugar so it's not too sweet, and is chock-full of fruit, nuts and seeds. If you want a lower-fat version, use less coconut, nuts and seeds, and more oats and fruit.
You can use any combination of fruit and nuts: I usually use Brazil nuts and sunflower seeds, figs, apricots, raisins, and crystallised ginger is a really nice touch, but it depends on what's in the pantry. You could also used dried tropical fruit, candied peel, cashews, peanuts, walnuts or almonds.
You could make an economical version using a smaller amount of raisins and peanuts, or luxurious versions using lots of figs, crystallised ginger, prunes, apricots, tropical fruit and Brazils or walnuts. You can vary the spices too. I've been enjoying lemon and mixed spice recently, but vanilla, cinnamon and other spices are good too.
If you feel indulgent, a handful of chocolate balls as part of the fruit and nut mix won't go astray, or you can drizzle a little melted dark chocolate over the top before cutting, but I like pressing a handful of green pumpkin seeds into the top for decoration and colour.
½ cup dates
½ cup water
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp oil (use a mildly flavoured oil such as rice bran or grapeseed)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup coconut
½ cup sesame seeds
2 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice etc
2-4 cups mixed fruit and nuts, chopped
1 tsp vanilla essence or juice and zest of a lemon
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbsp water
A handful of pumpkin seeds (optional)
Turn oven to 180degC fan bake. Spray a slice tin with oil.
Chop dates roughly and put in a saucepan with the half cup of water. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the dates are soft. (You could microwave them instead.) Mash with a fork or masher. Stir in honey until melted, and add oil.
Put rolled oats, flour, coconut, spices and fruit and nuts in a bowl, add vanilla essence or lemon juice, egg, baking soda dissolved in a tablespoon of water, and date and honey mix.
Mix until everything is combined. The mix should be moist but crumbly.
With wet hands or a wet spatula, press into greased slice tin. Press pumpkin seeds into the top if you like.
Bake at 180degC fan bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares or bars while still warm and remove from tin when cool.
If you like, drizzle over lemon icing or melted chocolate.
Makes about 18 to 50 depending on how you cut it.
