It’s been far too long since my last recipe went up. Autumn is now upon us and with it has come the September chaos of back to school, back to work, back to racing around to clubs, societies, play dates, lessons, football pitches.. and all amongst the continuing coronavirus crisis which simply adds yet more complexities and anxieties to an already addled brain.

That said, Autumn is a favourite time of year, and we’ve been blessed with beautiful weather, and a neighbour who is delivering me bucketfuls of apples pretty much daily.

So this recipe is a way of getting through the glut and having a good after-school snack on hand to boost tired little legs and brains on the walk home each day.

Ingredients

150g coconut oil or butter

75g coconut sugar or brown sugar

150g maple syrup

300g oats

1/2 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

50g pecans

50g chopped dates

1 large dessert apple

Method

Preheat the oven to 160 (140 fan) and grease and line a 20 x 20 square baking pan.

Put the coconut oil or butter, sugar and syrup into a small saucepan and gently heat until the sugar has melted. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, a good pinch of salt and the spices. Put the pecans into a small food processor and whizz briefly until finely chopped. Add them to the bowl, along with the chopped dates. Peel the apple, then grate it into the bowl. Pour over the melted oil and sugar, and give it all a good mix before transferring to the baking tin.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until just turning a little golden around the edges.

Leave to cool in the tin then tip it out onto a board and slice into nice chunky squares.

Store in the tin for 3-4 days, or freeze for busy days ahead.