Breakfast Bars

Since it's been a busy month so far with exams and university projects pilings up, the simple & quick recipes have been most appealing to me. And since I loved Nigella Lawson's Kitchen cookbook, I decided to go ahead and buy her other book Nigella Express; a book I've been flipping through quite a bit for the past 2 weeks.

My parents love granola bars so I decided to give this recipe a shot. It's not the healthiest recipe considering that the main binding ingredient is a whole 379g of condensed milk (I used the sweetened kind). Although I must say that it's delicious and lives up to its name for being best during breakfast.

So if you're in a hurry or as Nigella suggests, "If you're not a morning person," these will quickly become your best friends during the early hours of the day.

Breakfast Bars from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson

1 x 379g can condensed milk
250g rolled oats (not instant)
75g shredded coconut
100g dried cranberries
125g mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)
125g natural unsalted peanuts


Red Panda's note: I omitted the coconut, cranberries, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and the unsalted peanuts since I didn't have any of those ingredients in my pantry. Instead, I added a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg to add a hint of spice and I substituted the cranberries with sultanas.

• Preheat the oven to 130°C and oil 23 x 33 x 4cm baking tin, or use a throw-away foil one.
• Warm the condensed milk in a large pan.
• Meanwhile, mix together all the other ingredients and then add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber spatula or wooden spatula to fold and distribute.
• Spread the mixture into the tin and press down with the spatula or, better still, your hands (wearing disposable vinyl gloves to stop you sticking), to even the surface.
• Bake for 1 hour, then remove from the oven and, after about 15 minutes, cut into four across and four down to make 16 chunky bars. Let cool completely.

Enjoy snacking on these at any time of the day, too.

Happy Baking!