I can't help it.
Every time I make a recipe, even the favourites I make regularly, I alter something - in my regular muesli bar some crystallised ginger in with the fruit, brazils instead of walnuts or vice versa, a little less sugar, a little more or different spices.
Muesli bars have become a staple in my baking repertoire, but not old-fashioned, overly sweet muesli bars with lots of butter, sugar and golden syrup.
I've experimented with honey and oil instead of sugar and butter, and with lots of different fruits and nuts.
Mostly they are delicious, but sometimes they tend to be crumbly or too hard, and some are more trouble to make than others.
I published one recipe about 18 months ago, full of fruit and nuts, with mashed stewed prunes instead of butter.
It's delicious but it's a bit of a bother to cook the prunes.
Mashed ripe banana is easier, and I'm all for ease when it comes to my everyday cooking.
Over the past months, I've been playing round with another version, using dried cranberries (I like the orange-flavoured ones), brazil nuts for both flavour and selenium and, of course, my favourite chopped crystallised ginger for a bit of bite.
Cinnamon is a good spice, but I also like mixed spice in this and vanilla seems to round out the flavour.
It started with soft brown sugar (the dark one has a nice flavour) which was mixed with the flour but I got tired of trying to deal with the lumps in the sugar.
For a while I gave up on it and used raw sugar instead but the flavour isn't as good.
A call to Chelsea gave me a couple of tips - make sure the sugar is stored in an airtight container as moisture contributes to lumps (mine wasn't as airtight as it could be), and mix the sugar with the liquid first, instead of the flour.
This works much better.
A tip for handling sticky substances like honey or golden syrup that I picked up from one of Lois Daish's excellent cookbooks is to warm the spoon under the hot tap before using it to measure the honey or syrup.
It then falls off more easily.
You could, of course, use runny honey that comes in a squeezy bottle with a non-drip valve.
This is probably the most mess-free way of dealing with the sticky stuff, but I prefer to use a flavoursome bush or thyme honey in this recipe.
I've also been using a double-strength vanilla from Queen which gives a distinct background flavour, but you could add more of the regular extract if you like.
Feel free to substitute your favourite dried fruit or nuts.
These squares are ideal to slip into lunchboxes, or take to work to have with a cup of tea or coffee, instead of the less healthy bought muesli bars or biscuits.
Muesli squares
2 ½ cups rolled oats
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup mixed dried cranberries and chopped crystallised ginger
½ cup brazils, chopped roughly
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp honey, preferably bush or thyme
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup rice bran oil
1 egg
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 180degC.
Grease and line a slice tin (30x20cm) or baking tray with baking paper.
Toast nuts in the oven if you can be bothered. It freshens their flavour.
Put oats, flour, fruit and nuts in a bowl.
In another bowl, mix the honey and oil and stir in the sugar until more or less dissolved. Stir in the egg, mashed banana and vanilla.
Tip the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well. It should be a firm but moist mixture.
Press into the lined tin or shape into a rectangle on the baking tray.
Bake 25-35 mins until edges begin to brown.
Cool for 5 minutes or so, then cut into squares before it becomes cold.
Makes about 36 pieces.
Top tips for lunchbox snacks
By Jen Stewart of the Heart Foundation
It's back-to-school time so why not try something new in your child's lunchbox to ensure they are performing at their best throughout the day?
Packing a nutritious, yet delicious, lunchbox that contains a variety of healthy foods can be a challenge. Involving your child in the process and being a good role model are crucial to ensuring their lunch doesn't come home uneaten.
Children have high energy requirements and small stomachs so a lunchbox should contain two or three snacks to ensure they have enough energy to keep them going.
Fruit makes a perfect snack; it's quick to grab, it's portable and healthy.
The Heart Foundation recommends these healthy snacks ideas:
- fresh fruit, chopped into small shapes, fruit salad or fruit kebab.
- scroggin mix of dried fruit and raw nuts.
- carrots, celery sticks or cherry tomatoes with hummus, peanut butter or salsa.
- pottle of yoghurt or dairy food.
- reduced-fat cheese slices and low fat, high-fibre crackers.
- pita pockets with tuna or hummus and coleslaw.
- small mini fruit muffins or pinwheel scones.
- mousetraps - reduced-fat cheese and Marmite toasties.
- wraps with cottage cheese or hummus and salad ingredients.
- sushi or rice paper rolls with tuna, cucumber and avocado.
- plain home-made popcorn or corn thins with sliced tomato.
- wholemeal or whole-grain bread cases with creamed corn.
- vegetable frittata. leftover rice, noodles or chow mein, pasta or couscous.
- pikelets or corn fritters.
- mini pizzas/muffin splits.
Pre-packaged snack foods can be high in fat, sugar and/or sodium (salt) so keep these as treats offered once or twice a week at the most.
To identify a healthy snack use the 5/10/10 amounts as a general rule - look for more than 5g of fibre, less than 10g of fat and less than 10gm of sugar per 100g.
The Heart Foundation Tick also signposts healthier snack options within specific food categories,
which can save you time when shopping.
