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Healthier flapjacks with honey and dry Pomegranate seeds

Name: Healthier flapjacks with honey and dry Pomegranate seeds
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 220 g rolled oats (I used jumbo rolled oats - organic ); 170 g rye flakes (organic); 180 g honey *; 100 g apple (finely chopped); 50 g desiccated coconut (organic); 45 g dried cranberries (chopped); 50 g pecans (or walnuts - chopped and toasted); 70 g coconut oil (plus extra to grease the oven dish); 40 g sunflower seeds; 100 g pomegranate seeds; 1/2 tsp sea salt (flakes); 1 tsp turmeric (optional)

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Oh wow, we said bye to the summer already a few days back, welcome autumn, also a favourite season of mine I have to admit so it is time for some nice comforting yet, healthy snacks that keep us full for longer and give us some really good nutrition and not soo many calories.

can flapjacks be healthy?

I know that healthier flapjacks may sound a little unreal - but I will tell you what a healthier flapjack is.

Supermarket ones in general (with some exceptions maybe) contain tonnes of butter, loads of added sugar, ingredients that aren’t the best for us.

How are these flapjacks different?

Homemade flapjacks are usually healthier firstly because we know what we put in them.

This flapjack recipe, contains some nice organic ingredients, it contains no refined sugars, in fact, no sugar was added at all. I have added dry pomegranate seeds, turmeric, apples, all good stuff. I've added no sugar in this recipe at all but used a little amount of some beautiful organic honey instead which I have from my lovely dad. Replace this with maple or agave syrup for a vegan version.

We actually do not feel the need to ever buy supermarket flapjacks, these are soo satisfying, taste amazing and not overly sweet, packed with goodness. In fact, they're the perfect energy boosters especially for kids who always walk out of school really hungry or us coming out of the gym feeling like we could eat a horse right there and then.

My daughter came back from school yesterday and she said she really fancied one of my healthier flapjack. She did not want to get one from school as they are way beyond her sweet taste threshold (good girl!) I was impressed and super proud, not because she’s asked for my version of flapjack but because she had the willpower to say no to a flapjack that it is not the best for her. She is 11 years old and she’s going through a growth spurt at the moment (another one) and constantly asking for food as soon as she gets home - all you hear it’s ‘Oh, I need to eat something or I’ll die from starvation’. Yes, right! Haha.

These teens are constantly hungry, one growth spurt after another, it is not a lot they can do. She has already planned the coming weekend, a lemon and poppy seeds cake is going to be baked apparently which I’m also looking forward to. The girls are set to hit the kitchen together and guaranteed, nice things will emerge, stay tuned ;-)!

What are these pomegranate seeds….

Well, I have stumbled across them some time ago in my online grocery store where I buy all my beautiful and, as some of my friends would say- weird ingredients, haha, well, this is one of those ‘weird’ ones? - they might think so but…. the benefits from some of these weird ingredients are simply remarkable.

What are pomegranate seeds good for?

I and my daughter are the only weirdos in the household stuffing our faces with those seeds and I need to top up the supply on those every now and again. Dry organic pomegranate seeds don’t come cheap but, they are worth every penny. Apparently they fight cancer and bacterial infections (good!! - you never know) they help with

lowering blood pressure,
they enhance memory - well, good! Mine can certainly do with a boost 😉
pomegranate seeds improve heart health in general;
they reduce the joint pain and arthritis.

I did tell you they are superfood so search well to finding them, they're good stuff.

If you do not find them separately in a dried form, just make sure you save them and never throw them away when eating or juicing the actual pomegranate fruit.

Variations

There are plenty of variations you could play with when it comes to flapjacks, you can use syrup and sugar (for a really sweet tooth), raisins, lemon or orange rind (or both), you can use muesli instead of oats, dried cherries or even glace cherries (if you like them, I personally don’t but I know a lot of people that do).
Go totally nuts or coconuts with an abundance of chopped walnuts, almonds, macadamia, cashew, hazelnuts.
Add any seeds or even ground flaxseed which has to be one of my favourites. There is no right nor wrong when it comes to flapjacks, agree? It really depends on individual taste and ones sweetness level threshold.
why not add some sultanas and chocolate drops or chips (mmm yummy).

Tips :

* Careful when mixing/pulsing the ingredients so that they do not lose the texture.

* When it comes to honey, of course, it is your call depending on how sweet you would like your flapjacks to be. I have mentioned the quantity in grams, remember, honey weights a lot more since it is a lot denser so I would say 180g honey would be approximately 125ml or 4fl oz or 6 oz.

* My oven dish was exactly 27x27 cm and the bars came out to be around 1cm thick which is about the right thickness so that they do not crumble and fall apart.

* The pomegranate seeds, if you find them too hard, give them a good blend priorly to almost powder them as they can be a little tricky and hard for teeth.

How long can I keep these flapjacks?

They are even better the next day and thereafter for as long as a couple of weeks if kept in an airtight container in the fridge.

Other recipes you may like

Healthy cookies

Pecan cookies

Peach and berries healthier cake

Let’s just get the action started on flapjack making. Yey!