Recipe: Orange, Raisin and Cranberry Oat Energy Bars

For over a year now Husband and I have been eating low carb. It was a huge change for us as we had a very pasta heavy diet before. One thing we still struggle with is snacking. It is so easy to grab a high sugar snack which give you an instant pick me up but ultimately cause a crash soon after.

This recipe uses Potter’s Herbals malt extract as a replacement for refined sugar. The sugar in a malt extract is in the form of maltose which means it is excellent for sustaining blood glucose levels. The energy bars have the citrus zing of orange, combined with the sweetness of dried fruits and the nutty tang of peanut butter. The malt, peanut butter and oats all create a slow release energy bar that will keep you energised throughout the day.

Potter’s orange, raisin and cranberry oat energy bar

Makes: 12
Prep time: 10-15 minutes, plus cooling
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
100ml orange juice
75g stoned medjool dates, chopped
50g dried cranberries
50g raisins
75g Potter’s Herbals malt extract
75g peanut butter
150g porridge oats
50g pistachios, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, 160C fan, gas 4. Grease and line a 20cm square tin with baking paper.

2. Place the orange juice, dates, cranberries and raisins into a pan, bring to a gentle simmer and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes. Pour into a food processor and whizz until smooth. Pour into a bowl then stir in the malt, peanut butter and porridge oats until combined and sticky. Stir through the pistachios and spoon into the lined tin.

3. Flatten down with a spoon and bake for 15 minutes, until just golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately score into 12 energy bars, then leave fully to cool in the tin.

4. Once cool remove from the tin and place onto a chopping board. Cut into bars. These can be kept in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Tip: For an added treat, you can stir 100g white chocolate chips/chopped white chocolate into the mixture.

Linking up to #TastyTuesday and #RecipeoftheWeek