Tuesday, March 15, 2011

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!

17 comments:

  1. yasmino!!!!! its the first time i see this.. i love ur blogs and ur recipes and everything looks soo good!!! omg we have to meet and exchange recipes :P am so into baking lool i was thinking of making a blog nd then i saw this!! hayate i miss u walla :D and our baking adventure :D

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  2. Great blog Yasmine!

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  3. Hold on.. no chocolate?! I'm heart broken... hehe :D Hope your parents enjoyed them, great pics Redpanda!

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  4. @Sara Aw hun it has been so long since we've baked together, I've love to share recipes :) I encourage you to start a blog, it's lots of fun!

    @Praveen Thanks for dropping by! :)

    @Samir The horror! Chocolate post coming soon ;)

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  5. Lovely breakfast bars and am surely going to try this following weekend for my little one, urs are looking fab... !

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  6. Thank you Sonia!
    The kids will love it since it's just the right amount of sweetness and isn't too harsh on the teeth :)

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  7. mmm. naughty stuff with added fiber. I'm sure that's enough excuse for indulging in condensed milk!

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  8. It's the only "bad" part of this recipe which is oh-so-good. Indulge, Sarah, indulge!

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  9. I've never ad a breakfast bar (amongst the many other things I haven't tried in life!). But I love Nigella.....so I'm sure it tastes yummy and wholesome....just like her!

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  10. Well it's just like a granola bar Sukaina, but it differs in taste (some bars lean towards cinnamon while others could even be salty)

    Nigella does make wonderful food, which is why I tend to use her recipes a lot ;)

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  11. Yasmin, condensed milk used to be my fave drink as a child. Yup I had it straight from the can- if only my family knew! This looks like a fun recipe that makes all of us think of yummy childish decadence.

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  12. I used to buy the mini cans and drink one every alternate day, Heaven!

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  13. Beautiful pics Yasmin. I don't like all the recipes in Express but some are outstanding and firm favourites. These look great.

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  14. Thank you Sally! Express does have some weird recipes but I especially enjoy the little recipes of the salad dressing at the end.

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  15. Beautiful pics Yasmin. I don't like all the recipes in Express but some are outstanding and firm favourites. These look great.

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  16. I used to buy the mini cans and drink one every alternate day, Heaven!

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  17. Lovely breakfast bars and am surely going to try this following weekend for my little one, urs are looking fab... !

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