Recipe: Breakfast Bars

by Nigella Lawson

 

NPR.org, November 14, 2007 · I am addicted to these, and so is everyone I give them to. Although they're quick to throw together, they do take nearly an hour to bake, so what I suggest is, make a batch on the weekend and then you will have the oaty, chewy bars ready and waiting for those days when you have to snatch breakfast on the run.

 

Mind you, they are just like milk and cereal in bar form, so there's nothing to stop you nibbling one with your morning coffee at home every day. If you are not a morning person, believe me, they will make your life easier.

 

They also store well; indeed, they seem to get better and better. So just stash them in a tin and remove when you want.

 

1 14-fl-oz can condensed milk

2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)

1 cup natural unsalted peanuts

 

 

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and oil a 9- x 13-inch baking pan or just use a disposable aluminum foil one.

2. Warm the condensed milk in a large pan.

3. Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together and add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber spatula to fold and distribute.

4. Spread the mixture into the oiled or foil pan and press down with a spatula or, better still, your hands (wearing those disposable latex CSI gloves to stop you from sticking) to make the surface even.

5. Bake for 1 hour, remove, and after about 15 minutes, cut into four across and four down, to make 16 chunky bars. Let cool completely.

Makes 16

Excerpted from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson. Copyright (c) 2007 Nigella Lawson. Published in the U.S. by Hyperion. All Rights Reserved. Available wherever books are sold.