2014 Cooking Club Week 22: Peanut Butter Granola and Breakfast Bars

or

Two Ways With Oats

I don't know about you but I require a really good, substantial breakfast to get me through the day. However I also require a lot of sleep and am not very inclined to make something hearty at the crack of dawn before work. My solution is to make these babies on the weekend, and thus breakfasts for the week are sorted.

Both recipes are very versatile, and can be adjusted to your taste with the addition of lots of different kinds of seeds, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips and anything else that you might like.

I really hope you enjoy them. They are both scrumptious and reasonably good for you.

Granola

This recipe makes approximately 16 servings of around 50g. I filled two 1 litre mason jars with it.

600g of oats
80g brown sugar (you can add less or none as you wish - adding instead dried fruit like raisins or cranberries to add sweetness)
100g peanut butter
50g butter
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180.

Melt together the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and salt - a minute in the microwave will do it. Pour the melted mixture over the oats.

Stir together well.



Spread thinly across two baking trays and bake for 15-20 minutes until crispy and golden.

Allow to cool and store in mason jars.



Eat with milk or natural yoghurt for a gorgeous, simple, crunchy breakfast.



Breakfast Bars

This recipe makes 10 bars.

Ingredients

180g pitted dates (1 cup)
140g oats (1.5 cups)
170g whole almonds (1 cup)
30g coconut oil (1/8 cup)
100g crunchy peanut butter (1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp ground sea salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)

Set the oven to 175 C. Allow to preheat, and then lightly toast the oats and almonds for 10-15 minutes until golden and aromatic.

Put the dates into the food processor and whizz until it becomes a ball of dough. If the dates are too dry and seem bitty, add a few teaspoons of water as they are whizzing until a date-paste is formed. If you do not have a food processor, simply boil the dates for a few minutes in water, then remove from the water and finely chop/mash to a paste.

Put the peanut butter (or any nut butter) into a jug with the salt and coconut oil and melt in the microwave for one minute. Stir well.

Line a square baking tin with a smear of butter (to adhere) and baking parchment.

Put the dates and the toasted oats and almonds into a big bowl. Pour the melted nut butter, coconut oil and salt on top. Stir well until combined, and press into the baking tin. Use your palms to really press it down firmly.



Chill in the fridge for a few hours. Remove and cut into delicious, nutritious breakfast bars. Keep in the fridge.





Yum!