My Indulgent Layered Biscuit Bars

 I've been making these biscuit bars for years as all my friends and family love them. I've played around with them over the years and they are so easy to change and adapt to whatever you like. I used to make this with a digestive base, but I found they are even better this way. I often make these to give away as a present because it is hard to find someone that doesn't like them! They are also very easy and quick to make.

These make 24 or 32 squares depending on how large you like them.

You will need:
250g/1½ cups sifted plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
150g/10⅔ tablespoons unsalted butter
170g/1 cup soft dark brown sugar, firmly packed
100g/1 cup oats
397g/14oz can condensed milk
A couple handfuls of chocolate chips
A couple handfuls of dessicated coconut
Optional: Chopped walnuts/pecans, marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line a 9 x 13in pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl using an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat well. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go. Mix in the oatmeal. The mixture will be quite crumbly which is perfect.

Sprinkle a bit more than half of this mixture into your prepared tin and pat down lightly with your fingertips. Make sure you have the whole base of the pan covered, so use a bit more mixture if you have to. Pour the condensed milk evenly over the biscuit layer and use a knife to spread it evenly. Then sprinkle with chocolate chips and the coconut until it is covered with a reasonable amount, or as much as you like. Feel free to add nuts, marshmallows, or anything else you can think of. It works well with lots of things. Then sprinkle with the remaining crumbly biscuit mixture trying to make sure its all covered. It is okay if some of the layer underneath shows in small spots.

Before going into the oven

Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until it is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan. Then cut into desired squares and keep in an airtight container. They keep quite well for 4-5 days, or they freeze very well too. I hope you like these as much as I do!

My Indulgent Peanut Butter Bars

I decided to try and come up with a recipe for some sort of flapjack/traybake that would be healthy and satisfying. Of course I used my love of peanut butter to help satisfy this craving. Packed full of oats, flax seeds, dried fruit and nuts, it will provide you with energy to keep you going all day. It's perfect as a pick me up after a good workout, or simply as an alternative to those sugar-filled snacks we all tend to reach for.
It's also gluten free (if you use gluten free oats), vegan and it only contains the sugar from honey and coconut blossom nectar. Really truly quite something scrummy!

This makes about 16 depending on how you cut them.
You will need:
200g/2 cups oats
40g/¼ cup sunflower seeds
30g/¼ cup sesame seeds
42g/¼ cup dried apricots
42g/¼ cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp chia seeds
35g/¼ cup flax seeds
240g/⅔ cup peanut butter
90g/½ cup coconut oil
150g/½ cup runny honey
2 tbsp coconut blossom nectar (use agave syrup or maple syrup if you can't find it)

Preheat the oven to 160C/320F and line a 7 x 11in pan with greaseproof paper.

First combine the oats, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, dried fruit, chia seeds and flax seeds together in a large bowl. Stir with a spoon just to mix it all together. 

In a saucepan add the peanut butter, coconut oil, honey and coconut blossom nectar. On a low heat stir until everything has melted. Pour this mixture onto the oats and stir until just combined. Pour this into your prepared pan and make sure it is pressed in well. 

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until just golden brown. It will still be quite soft but do not be tempted to over bake it. The result will be a crumbly flapjack and you want it to be chewy. When it's golden brown remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the tin before you take it out and cut it into bars. They keep really well in an airtight container for 3-5 days.