I am not a morning person.
I hate getting out of my big soft bed and having to get ready to leave the house.
If you’re anything like me you’d rather maximise time between the sheets, rather than getting up to cook breakfast.
In the morning, if it ain’t essential, I ain’t doin’ it.
That’s why these breakfast bars are a weekday breakfast dream.
You can whip up a batch on Sunday night & have breakfast on the run sorted for the rest of the week.
Remember, the first thing Sumo wrestlers do when they’re trying to put on weight is skip breakfast. Not something you want to do.
You’ll never get the best out of anyone if they’re hungry, so if I have a morning meeting I’ll take a whole box in for the office to share.
They disappear like nobody’s business!
They’re particularly delicious dunked in tea or coffee…
Pop them into an airtight tin or tupperwear and they’ll keep for about a week.
To make around 16 bars you’ll need:
350g (12.5oz) of your favourite (sugar free) oat based muesli
75g (3oz) dried cranberries
75g (3oz) dried goji berries
390g (14oz) condensed milk
Five easy steps:
1. Heat your oven to 130C/260F. Line a baking tray (about 23 x 33 x 4cm) with baking parchment and set to one side.
2. On the hob use a large saucepan to heat your condensed milk. It should only take a couple mins but keep stirring it to make sure it doesn’t burn. You should be able to feel it getting thinner as you stir.
3. After about 2-3 mins, pour in your muesli & berries. Stir thoroughly so every bit of muesli is nicely covered in the sticky glaze.
4. Pour it into your papered pan & press it out flat. When your oven’s preheated pop it onto the middle shelf for 30-45 mins, depending on whether you like chewy or crispy bars. Obviously the longer you leave them, the darker & crunchier they’ll become.
5. When they’re done to your liking take them out & leave to cool for 15 mins. Then use the paper to remove them from the pan, chop into manageable bars (you should be able to get about 16 good sized hunks out of this), leave to cool completely & they’re done!
The recipe idea came from Nigella’s book Nigella Express, which is a winner of a book. I can’t recommend her enough. Obviously I’ve tweaked the recipe somewhat but the inspiration is all down to her! The bars aren’t as high cal as you might think, around 200cals per bar (which is less that most diet bars), really filling and packed with slow release energy. Goji berries are bursting with anti-ageing, brain-boosting goodness. All in all, much better for you than a muffin from Starbucks (which comes in at a whopping 350cals).
