Glorious (Sugar-Free) Granola Bars

I was forced to come to terms with the fact that granola is basically just bits of biscuit in bowl or bar form when I read Marian Keyes’ new novel The Woman Whol Stole My Life as part of a (soon to be published) book review for Stylist. When the narrator casually dropped in this poignant point I put the book down on my lap and stared into space for several minutes, mourning the loss of my dilusional healthy lifestyle. ‘But surely granola and yoghurt is better than a bowl of Coco Pops?’ I wanted to cry. But didn’t, as suddenly I wasn’t so sure.

And so I set upon searching for a healthy vesion for granola, without sugar or butter. One I could eat smugly with dried fruit packed in for extra fruit points (no brownie points allowed here). Having experimented with several different options, this peanut butter version was my favourite, and you can make it as gooey or crunchy as you like by adjusting the amount of honey/peanut butter to dried ingredients ratio (these ones are on the crunchy side).

Glorious (Sugar-Free) Granola Bars

Ingredients

200g Rolled Oats
1 Jar Honey (approx. 340g)
1 Jar Smooth Peanut Butter (approx. 340g)
50g Raisins
100g Whole Peanuts (Crushed)
50g Mixed Seeds (Sesame, Golden Linseed, Sunflower and Pumpkin Seeds)
(Optional: dried dates; dried apricots – sliced)
 

Preheat the oven to 175C.

Start by melting the peanut butter. Scrape the contents of one jar (yes, these really are best if the whole jar goes in) into a small saucepan and melt over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally.

While the peanut butter is melting combine the dry ingredients (the oats, raisins, crushed peanuts and seeds).

Once the peanut butter is melted add to the dry mixture together with the jar of honey. Stir all of the ingredients together until well combined.

Tip the mixture into a baking tray lined with baking parchment and press down so that it fills any gaps. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes (until lightly golden, or even a bit brown, on top).

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing into bars with a sharp knife.

 

Lavosh Cheese Biscuits (Thyme & Sea Salt, and Cumin, Chilli & Sesame Seed)

Lavosh is a Middle Eastern flat bread which has its culinary and linguistic routes in Armenia (Lavosh means ‘flat’ or ‘thin’). While this bread is traditionally wafer thin but soft when it first comes out of the oven, it goes crisp and almost cracker-like quickly, making it the perfect cheese biscuit (in my mind at least). Equally, it works brilliantly as a nibble alongside dips before dinner.

Having discovered these wonderful flat breads at what must be one of the best restaurants in London, Ottolenghi’s Nopi (where they were served with a velvety green avocado purée), I fell in love with their spicy flavour and decisive crunch. The recipe below is very much inspired by Ottolenghi’s version of Lavosh, in that the thinly rolled out dough is cooked until it is crisp so it can be served immediately (or as soon as it has cooled down).

One of the great things about Lavosh is you can experiment as much as you want with it by adding different herbs, spices, or seeds, making their flavour stronger or weaker depending on what you are serving them with. And if you would like to make them as a snack without an accompaniment they work very well with grated cheese on top (try a hard, full flavoured cheese like gruyere or parmesan).

With the recipe below (which is adapted from Inside Cuisine) I made two different versions – Thyme & Sea Salt to go with stronger cheeses, and Cumin, Chilli, and Sesame Seed for those who like a bit of a spicy kick.

 

Lavosh Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients

130g Plain Flour
45g Wholemeal Flour
1 Pinch Table Salt
60ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil (plus 1tsp to finish)
1 tsp Sesame or Wok Oil
120ml Water

Thyme & Sea Salt:
1tbsp Dried Thyme
1 Pinch of Sea Salt

Cumin, Chilli & Sesame Seed:
1tbsp Cumin (or to taste)
1tsp Chilli Flakes
1tbsp Sesame Seeds (plus 1 pinch to finish)

Preheat the oven to 165˚C.

Whisk together the plain and wholemeal flour with the table salt. If making both varieties, divide the mixture into two bowls at this stage (weighing out to ensure they are even) and add the dried thyme to one mixture, and the cumin, chilli and sesame seeds to the other.

Next combine the olive oil, sesame or wok oil, and water in a jug, whisking with a fork to combine (again if you’re making two different flavours of Lavosh you’ll need to divide the wet ingredients in half, and it’s easier to do this at the measuring out stage and use two jugs if possible).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing them with a fork until they come together as a soft dough. If you are making one flavour, divide the dough into two balls at this stage.

Tip the first dough ball out onto a floured work surface and roll out until around 1 – 2mm thick. Brush lightly with olive oil and transfer to an oven tray lined with baking parchment. Do the same with the second ball of dough, laying it out onto a separate tray.

For the Thyme & Sea Salt Lavosh, sprinkle with sea salt, and for the Cumin, Chilli, and Sesame Lavosh sprinkle with the extra sesame seeds.

Place in the oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until they are a golden and the dough has gone crisp (I find you get the most even bake by doing this in two separate batches).

Leave to cool, and if you have any leftovers be sure to tuck them away in a sealed container.