Lunchbox Treats

Now that school has gone back, I'm on the lookout for treats that I can put in my daughter's lunchbox. Luckily we don't have a 'no nuts' policy at our school, but I do try to avoid putting nuts in things if I can. This slice is perfect if you can't have nuts, but still want something dense and filling.

This recipe for Granola or Muesli bars was in last weeks copy of Epicure in the The Age Newspaper. I don't really like grams of wet and dry ingredients, because I find it too fiddly, but I held my tongue and diligently weighed everything out. Next time I'll take more notice of how much I add and convert it to cup measurements.  I also modified the original recipe a little bit to use up what I had in the cupboard. If you don't like dates, dried apricots, or any other dried fruit would work nicely too.  To make them as a home treat, you could easily add chopped nuts instead of the seeds.

The bars turned out nice and dense, so were great in a lunchbox, where they get tossed around a fair bit. There is nothing worse than a delicate slice or biscuits that ends up as crumbs by the time you get to eat them!

As an after school snack, kids can enjoy with a nice glass of milk and you can sit down and relax with a cup of tea or coffee!

Granola Bars

100g butter, cut into cubes

80g honey

90g brown sugar

80g dried dates, chopped

200g rolled oats

20g poppy seeds

30g sunflower seed and pepita mix

1/4 tsp allspice

A pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.

Line a 20x20cm cake tin with baking paper.

In a saucepan, combine butter, honey and sugar and heat until melted. Simmer gently until a soft caramel forms.

Combine all other ingredients in a bowl.

Add the hot caramel to the dry ingredients and stir to coat evenly.

Scoop the mixture into the tin and press evenly with the back of a spoon.

Bake for 15-20 mins or until golden brown. The slice will still be soft when you remove it from the oven, but will set more as it cools.

Cool in the tin, then cut into squares to serve.

Enjoy!

Lunchbox Baking

As well as regular cooking, I also love to bake. As a child, my Mum would always let my sister and I help with making biscuits, cakes and slices. My favourite part was fighting over who got to lick the spoon and the beaters!

So many fun times were had around the kitchen and so many delicious treats created and eaten. Now that I have two children of my own, I'm so glad that I can keep the tradition going and bake with them too.

My daughter has just started school, so now that I have a lunchbox to fill each day, I have another excuse to get baking!

This muesli slice is so easy that you don't need any particular cooking skills to master it. It's also incredibly versatile. Use whatever dried fruit you have on hand or you know the kids will eat. If you don't have to worry about nut allergies, add some chopped nuts instead of the seeds. As long as the dry to wet ingredient ratio stays the same, you can really mix and match however you choose!

I used dried apricots, dates and sultanas in this slice as it's what I had in the cupboard. Next time I might add some dried cranberries and dark chocolate chips, for a slightly more decadent version. If you didn't have all the oats, coconut, seeds and fruit, you could equally substitute the whole lot for a good muesli. Mix and match and experiment with what you have at home. After all, thats the fun part of baking!

This slice turned out golden and crispy on the outside, with a beautifully moist centre. Just how I like a muesli slice to be. If you prefer a more crispy version, leave it in the oven for a couple of minutes longer.

Cut into small squares or larger rectangles and send the kids off to school knowing they have a wholesome treat in their lunchbox. Otherwise, keep it for yourself and enjoy with a cuppa in peace and quiet!

Easy Muesli Slice

160g butter

1/4 cup raw sugar

1 Tbs golden syrup

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup dried fruit, chopped

1/2 cup wholemeal plain flour

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1 Tbs chia seeds

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Grease and line a 20x30cm slice tray.

Combine butter, sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool slightly.

In a bowl, combine the oats, fruit, flour, coconut and seeds.

Mix the egg and vanilla into the cooled butter mix and stir to combine.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the butter mixture.

Stir to combine all the ingredients well.

Tip the mixture into the slice tray and press with the back of a spoon to flatten.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and crisped to your liking.

Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

When cold, cut into squares or slices.

Enjoy!