Healthy superfood flapjacks

Ingredients

• 50g dried apricots
• 50g dried mango
• 100g pumpkin seeds
• 50g desiccated coconut
• 70g chia seeds
• 100g walnuts
• 100g pitted dates
• 50g goji berries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 70g cocoa butter/coconut oil
• 200g dark chocolate

Method

These crunchy, chewy, superfood-packed, colourful flapjacks are a real indulgence. We first created them with our friend Simon in London, and they quickly became a treat in Steve’s house with the little pears! It is worth getting cocoa butter, as it will result in a firmer flapjack, but if not, coconut oil will work fine.

1. Finely chop the dried apricots and mango into small pieces to make it easier on your food processor. Put them into the processor with the pumpkin seeds, coconut, chia seeds, walnuts, dates, goji berries and vanilla extract, and pulse until the nuts and seeds are well chopped and broken up but there is still some texture to them. Pour the blended mixture into a large bowl.

2. Melt the cocoa butter in a bowl over simmering water, the same as you would melt chocolate. Once melted, pour it over the nut and seed mixture and mix well.

3. Line a flapjack tray with baking parchment and spread the mixture evenly so that it is about 3cm thick. Using the back of a spoon, smooth the top level.

4. Now melt the chocolate in the bowl over simmering water and spread over the nut and seed mixture.

5. Put into the fridge and leave for 20 minutes to set. Once cooled, chop into 4 x 4 pieces, to make 16 flapjack bars. Store in an airtight tin for up to a week.

Recipe extracted from The Happy Pear: Recipes for Happiness, by David and Stephen Flynn.

The Happy Pear's new range of vegan products, including Sweet Beet Hummus, Lovely Basil Pesto and Sundried Tomato Pesto are available exclusively at Waitrose.

Visit our vegan recipe section for more plant-based recipe ideas