Recipe: Healthy datejacks

I used to make a delicious date slice, but it was pretty heavy on butter and sugar. So I came up with this recipe as a healthier sweet treat for my boys, but to be honest we all eat it. It is so quick and easy to prepare, and will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Having just done her 5-day healthy gut challenge (read my blog about it here), I asked holistic nutritionist Nikki what she thought of the recipe. Here’s what she had to say:

It's a good idea to have snacks around that you can grab to stop you reaching for processed and refined goods like pastries.

While dates are high in sugar, it is natural sugar plus they have the added bonus of containing fibre which you don't get with processed sugar. Same goes for the oats - they take longer to break down than processed flour. These two combined mean you have a slower release of sugar into the bloodstream whilst still having a tasty treat.

Nikki’s next healthy gut challenge starts on 1st February. If you’d like to join in, you can sign up here. But back to the recipe…

Makes 8 chunky finger slices, or 16 bite-sized pieces

Ingredients:

• 150g porridge oats

• 200ml whole milk or milk alternative

• ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)

• 1tsp raw honey

• 100g dates (stoned weight), chopped into small pieces

• 100ml water

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C and line a small loaf tin (21cm x 11cm) with greaseproof paper.

2. Place the chopped dates in a pan with the water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for around 5 mins or until soft and squidgy.

3. Mix the oats and cinnamon then pour over the milk and stir in the honey.

4. Take half the oat mixture and press it evenly into the bottom of the tin.

5. Spread the date mixture over the oats - be gentle if it’s still warm.

6. Cover with the remaining oat mixture, and press gently to flatten it down.

7. Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins, until golden on top and firm to the touch.

8. Remove from the tin and allow to cool in the greaseproof paper before cutting into bars or chunks.

Variations:

I like to mix it up depending on what we’ve got in the cupboard. Here are a few tried and tested variations:

• dried apricots instead of dates for the filling.

• a spoonful of nut butter in place of honey to bind the mixture together.

  Things you can mix into the oats:

• a teaspoon of cacao powder for a chocolate hit.

• desiccated coconut, chia or other seeds.

• orange or lemon zest.