Recipes: Breakfast Bars

This breakfast bar recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free – make them at the weekend so you are set up for the week with a grab-and-go breakfast snack.

TOP TIP:

You can use sunflower seeds in place of flaxseeds, or half and half - rather than all flaxseeds, and you can also use puffed rice (gluten-free if needed) or buckwheat flakes in place of cornflakes

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS:

250g/9oz medjool dates 

2 tsp ground cinnamon

75g/2½oz goji berries

75g/2½oz pumpkin seeds

150g/5½oz brown flaxseeds

50g/1¾oz cocoa nibs

25g/1oz chia seeds

25g/1oz cornflakes (gluten-free if required)

100g/3½oz porridge oats (not instant - gluten-free if required)

METHOD:

1.) Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4, and line the bottom and sides of a 20cm/8in square tin with baking parchment.

2.) Pit the dates and tear them with your fingers into a small saucepan, add the cinnamon, cover with 325ml/11fl oz cold water, bring to the boil and let bubble for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, and beat with a fork until you have a rough purée.

3.) Put all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl, add the date mixture and mix until everything is combined. It's messy so wear a pair of disposable vinyl gloves for this.

4.)  Press mixture into your prepared tin and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until firm and set, and golden on top and darker around the edges. Leave to cool in the tin before cutting into pieces