Maple breakfast bars with dried fruit and nuts

by Terri Farris

You can use any type of dried fruit you like in these little oat bars. A wide variety is available in the baking section of most supermarkets, so choose your favourite, or mix and match.

Makes 10-12. You will need a 20 x 25cm/8 x 10in (or similar size) tin or baking dish.

150g/5oz butter
75g/3oz demerara sugar
75ml/3fl oz maple syrup
100g/3 1/2 oz dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, cherries, raisins or sultanas, dates, peaches, apples, pears and so on), chopped into small pieces
50g/2oz toasted, chopped hazelnuts
225g/8oz rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5 and grease the tin or baking dish. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then add the sugar and maple syrup and stir gently until the sugar dissolves. Alternatively, you can combine everything in a large bowl and heat in the microwave, stopping every 20 seconds or so to stir.

Remove from the heat and stir in the dried fruit, nuts and oats. Spread into the tin and level the top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly then mark out the bars with a knife. Allow to cool completely in the tin before removing and packing the bars. Wrap individually in greaseproof paper so they are easy to hand round.

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