Adjusted from last one I tried, yet to try
Basically for using up bananas
Last time used walnuts but now nut free for after school snacks
Designed to use coconut sugar but originally BBC recipe used maple syrup
Double quantity from last time to try to fill our Pampered Chef tray
---
Ingredients
200g butter, plus extra for greasing
50g coconut sugar
1/4 tsp fine salt (or 1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter)
4 tbsp water
400g oats
140g raisins
60g desiccated coconut
4 tbsp milled linseed
4 tbsp cocoa powder
620g bananas (about 5 to 6 medium), mashed
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Grease your tin (about 20x35cm) and line with baking paper.
Peel the bananas and mash well in a large bowl until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are fine.
Put the butter, coconut sugar and salt in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar mostly dissolves into a loose syrup, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the water.
Take off the heat. Add the oats, raisins, coconut, linseed, cocoa and mashed banana. Mix well until everything is evenly coated, with no dry streaks of cocoa.
Press firmly into the tin and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the centre is set. Check from 20 minutes and lay baking paper loosely over the top if it's darkening too fast.
Mark into 24 pieces without cutting all the way through. Leave until cold, then cut. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Add the water last and hold some back if the mix already looks workable; the coconut and banana between them carry a lot of moisture. Easier to add than to remove.
The mix fills a 20x35x2.5cm tin to about the rim. It won't rise, so press it level.
Sugar is deliberately low and the cocoa is bitter, so it tastes only lightly sweet. Push the sugar up to 70 to 80g next time if you want it sweeter.