BREAKFAST BARS WITH OATS AND DATES

Switch on that kettle!

These breakfast bars are also delicious snacks in the afternoon.

Ingredients

(makes 12 bars)

¼ cup boiling water

1 cup tightly packed dates ¼ cup honey

¼ cup unsweetened peanut butter

1½ cup rolled oats, toasted ½ cup coconut

100 g mixed nuts, coarsely chopped a handful of dried banana chips or apricots

Here’s how

1 Grease a 23 x 23 cm square pan with butter or, even better,

line it with wax paper.

2 Pour the boiling water over the dates and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Put the date mixture, honey and peanut butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it starts to come together almost like a dough.

3 Spoon the ‘dough’ into a mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and flatten it all over to compact it. Cover the pan and refrigerate until the mixture is firm. Cut into bars and keep these in an airtight container stored in a cool spot.

Drive & Camp says Sprinkle an extra layer of coconut over the bars to make them less sticky – for extra flavour you can, of course, toast the coconut in the oven.