Traybake Monday: Date & walnut oaty slices recipe
This recipe is my own version of a layered traybake inspired by Delia Smith’s Apricot Oat Slices, and once again it’s something healthy-ish that’s easy to throw together whenever you like for snacks during the week.
These start-of-the-week recipes are meant to be quick and unfussy; they don’t require loads of equipment, and there’s no need to spend ages trying to make them look pretty either – unless of course that’s something you feel like doing to pass the time.
Date and walnut oaty slices recipe
Ingredients
- 350g block of dates
- 100ml water
- 110g porridge oats
- 50g walnut pieces
- 225g plain flour
- 75g light soft brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 150g margarine
It’s been hard to get a number of ingredients in the shops recently, so I thought I’d include a few substitutions and workarounds as well:
This recipe is vegan as long as you make it with vegan margarine, but if you don’t want to use margarine you could also use butter.
The original version is make with dark brown sugar and wholemeal flour, both would work fine here too as long as the sugar’s fresh and hasn’t gone clumpy.
No walnuts? Use chopped nuts or a few seeds instead, or omit them altogether. No dates? You can also use finely chopped ready-to-eat apricots, but don’t add the water.
Method
- Preheat the oven: standard oven 200°C, fan oven 180°C, Gas Mark 6.
- Chop the dates and add to the water in a pan and simmer for 5 minutes or so until sticky, then set aside.
- Mix the oats, flour, spices, walnut pieces and sugar in a bowl.
- Melt the margarine or butter over a low heat, then add to the bowl and mix well to combine.
- Press half the oat mixture into a greased or parchment-lined square tin (I used a 22cm one), pushing down well.
- Spread the date mixture evenly over the first layer or oat mixture.
- Top with the remaining oat mix, pressing down evenly.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top turns golden brown.
- Cool for a few minutes, then cut into 16 squares, remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
These are just right for a tea break snack, and I’ll be making them again and again. What’s your favourite traybake recipe?
