Best ever Breakfast Bars

One of my friend Anna's favourite quotes is The best decision you can make in the morning is to be in a good mood.
One great way to start the day is with a nourishing breakfast.
Not everyone has time for a leisurely breakfast so these date and honey bars are perfect.

The dates left over from Christmas were looking forlorn and unwanted, dried up and unappealing. This recipe redeems them and turns them back into their former glory, as though they have been freshly picked from a palm tree swaying in the breeze of an exotic country.

Date and Honey Breakfast Bars

For the filling

175 dates, rinsed and chopped
3 tablespoons honey
2tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 level teaspoons plain flour
120ml water

Place the dates in a saucepan with the honey, lemon juice, plain flour and about 120ml water.
Mix gently and bring slowly to the boil, stirring and cook over a low heat for about 4 minutes.
Let cool

For the oat mixture

125g self-raising flour
125g demerara sugar
150g rolled oats
175g butter, melted

In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, oats and melted butter.

Butter and base line an 18cm square baking tin.
Heat the oven to 190

Spread half the oat mixture over the base of the tin and press down well.
Spoon the date mixture over the base and spread evenly.
Spread the rest of the oat mixture over the date filling, pressing evenly all over the surface.

Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden.

Let it cool completely for about an hour, then cut into squares and gently remove from the tin.
 This makes about 18 squares.

Once you have made these breakfast bars you can vary according to your taste,
add chopped walnuts, glace cherries or flaked almonds to the date mixture, cinnamon and nutmeg to the oat mixture, scatter sesame seeds across the top, add orange juice instead of lemon, tip in the last of a bag of currants or raisins.

Hope you like them and they give you a good start to the day

Ready to go

Ready to assemble

Ready to bake

Ready to eat and put you in a good mood