Sugar Free Flapjacks

I've made flapjacks loads of times before but none have ever turned out as tasty, gooey or mouthwatering as these little morsels! More importantly though, they're sugar free and not as bad for you as normal sweet treats.

I've adapted this recipe from Davina McCall's '5 Weeks to Sugar-Free' recipe book which is full of great ideas if you're wanting to cut back on your sugar intake but have a massive sweet tooth like me! These flapjacks are so sweet and delicious it's really hard to believe they have no sugar in them. They are just perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up with a lovely cup of Earl Grey. 

Ingredients: 

3 tbsp coconut oil 

50g unsalted butter

150ml honey

100g desiccated coconut

350g large rolled oats

1 overripe banana

50g chopped dates

1 tsp cinnamon

Method: 

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees/Gas Mark 4. Melt the butter and coconut oil together on a low heat in a pan. Once melted, add the dry ingredients and dates and stir. Mash the banana and add it to the mixture. Once all the ingredients are added stir the mixture together thoroughly for a couple of minutes whilst still a low heat is still on so that the mixture becomes completely combined and sticky. Use a little bit of coconut oil to grease a 20cmx30cm baking tin, then spoon the flapjack mixture into the tin and spread evenly. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until lovely and golden brown. Cut into squares as soon as you take them out the oven, they should be soft and gooey and ready to eat in a few minutes once they've cooled. 

If you can't get your hands on coconut oil then use 100g of unsalted butter but I really recommend the coconut oil as it gives the flapjacks a beautiful taste. Similarly if you want to use all coconut oil and no butter that could work too, just adjust quantities accordingly. I think you can probably substitute the dates for any other dark dried fruit like sultanas or raisins. The ingredient that I think you can't miss for this recipe though is the banana which must be nice and soft. The banana gives the flapjacks their extra sweet taste as well as a lot of moisture which is why the recipe doesn't need as much butter as others.

Hope you enjoy your baking and let me know if you make any!

Isobel x