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Snack Bars made of Oats

jsalt

Jill
Time of past OR future Camino
Portugués, Francés, LePuy, Rota Vicentina, Norte, Madrid, C2C, Salvador, Primitivo, Aragonés, Inglés
Hi, when I walked the C2C across England I could buy snack bars made of oats. Not sure of the correct name for them. I can’t buy them in my country, nor on the camino in Spain. They were really yummy and filling. I’d like to try and make my own, but I need help with a tried and tested recipe. Any recommendations? I could google it, but it might be a bit hit and miss. Thanks for any help! Jill
 
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Maybe you are thinking of Flapjacks? They are very popular amongst hikers and walkers in Scotland and England. I have seen recipes for Flapjacks but not made them myself. I ate a lot of Flapjacks hiking in Scotland but I would buy them in supermarkets.
 
Ekelund said:
Maybe you are thinking of Flapjacks?
Click to expand...
Yes, I thought that was the name, but "flapjacks" means something different here (possibly from the American version of flapjacks).
 
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A recipe for flapjacks...I hope this helps.

Fast Flapjacks

A go-to easy flapjack recipe from Mary Berry that can be easily customised to with extra flavours and toppings.
thehappyfoodie.co.uk
 


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Chenahusky said:
Hi, assuming that you are in South Africa you should be able to get Nature Valley Crunchy bars.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Yes, we can buy those here very easily, but they are nothing at all like the bars I bought on the C2C.
 
SabineP said:
Check! Found the on the Dia website.
Click to expand...

Nature Valley bars are small and crunchy and very very dry.

The C2C bars are big and soft and moist.

 
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Oh gosh I did not read your OP correctly! Sorry my mistake. England not Spain!
 
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I think you may have been eating these?



If so, they look good but are over 24% sugar. I think that if you made some oat flapjacks (with less sugar!) you would have what you want at a fraction of the price. Any flapjack recipe would do, just use oats. (and post me some ).
 

Agree with BB ... they were most likely Flapjacks.

This afternoon I made some oat ‘bars’:

2 mashed, ripe bananas
1 cup of sprouted oats
1 tsp chia seeds
2 tbsp ground almonds (heaped because love them)
Tsp ground cinnamon

Mash bananas until creamy.
Add the rest.
Put spoonfuls (tbsp) on a baking tray (lined with baking parchment/greaseproof paper ... shape into bars.
Bake 15 mins @ 175C (fan oven), or until going golden brown.
(Makes about 7-8.)

Definitely not flapjacks but still very sweet ... and very filling
... and very quick to make ...
... and natural sugars only ..

EDIT:
Add more ripe banana if you want them more moist ... or sweeter.
 
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Sugar, natural sugars, fruit sugars, honey, sweet fruit .. they are all sugar, all identical - the body only sees sugar.
Sugar is lovely, sure!
But what happens in the body is that you get a low sugar level on a hike so have a sugar bar (sold as 'trek' bars) and this raises the blood sugar level and you get a great satisfying surge - but twenty minutes later your blood sugar drops to lower than it was before you had the bar, as your body has released vast amounts of insulin to remove it .. so you have another sugar bar and again and again etc ...
So the trick is to go for slow burn - no sugar, rather than fast burn.
 
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If I need more energy on the Camino, I opt for an afternoon cafe con leche...my son swears that I hike faster after that caffeine jolt. The protein bars are sometimes needed in place of lunch, but an apple and chocolate can be a nice substitute.
 
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I know this Is not the original question,but related. Can you buy oats, whole oats, that one would use for granola bars in the supermercados in Spain?
 
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Yup .. well aware of that ...
but my bars were a good way to use up bananas that had ripened ..and there is enough fibre in them (the bars) to help offset the sugars.
Cinnamon has a sweet taste without the sugar ...
I eat green bananas normally but, even in the cold, they insist on ripening
 
jsalt said:
I’d like to try and make my own, but I need help with a tried and tested recipe. Any recommendations? I could google it, but it might be a bit hit and miss. Thanks for any help! Jill
Click to expand...
Here's a recipe from my friends at Brownble. Enjoy!
 

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Camino Preparation Guide
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Jill
If you just want to make them at home - just go for biscuits (or cookies ).
the recipe for Scottish flapjacks (I hadn’t heard of those before ) looks similar to our ANZAC biscuits (link under). So named as they are traditionally made here for Anzac Day 25 April.
(Australia & New Zealand Army Corps)
Due to the ingredients they keep well and tins of them were sent to the soldiers serving overseas from home.

I love them !!
 

Anzacs are the biscuits that I make for my beloved ... he loves them (not that I make them very often).
Our Kiwi neighbour reminded us about them years ago, when she brought some round to share.
Less ‘fatty’ than flapjacks, but no less sweet!!
 
Bristle boys recipe for sure.
Personally I reduce the sugar and add peanut butter, and sometimes add some 80% dark chocolate chunks. That recipe is the basis, from which you can add all sorts of favourite things. (raisins, sultanas, figs, prunes dates etc)
 
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I checked a few of these recipes out and see that most are almost identical to my mother's oatmeal cookie recipe that I grew up on. They were good sized, flat, and the texture was a combination of both crunchy and soft. Little did I know of their history in providing care packages to soldiers in war.

EDIT...Jimmy, I'll take the chocolate chunks added every time and leave the dried fruits to someone else, with the exception of apricots...yum.
 
Hi - if you're lucky enough to be in Scotland, albeit I'm pretty sure they retail across the whole UK, Stoats Porridge Bars are what you should look out for.

Very popular with walkers on the West Highland Way etc and certainly give you a real boost and a spring in your step!

My current faves are Blueberry & Honey and Apple & Cinnamon - see - https://www.eatstoats.com/oat-bars
 
This is a perfect example of why I LOVE THIS FORUM! Informed people around the world solving important problems - like acquiring the perfect what we call 'Camino brownie'. Thanks so very much for the recipes and hints on buyable snacks. I miss you all - stay well!
 
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jsalt said:
Nature Valley bars are small and crunchy and very very dry.

The C2C bars are big and soft and moist.

Click to expand...
You really need flapjack recipe, they’re less crunchy than many of the muesli bars, delicious, but moorish.
 
You almost certainly had British flapjack. I use a recipe similar to Bristle boy. Mine comes from a 1952 cook book the only difference is the quantities 4 0z Margarine (better with butter but not so easy to get in 1952), 1 oz sugar, 2 tablespoons golden syrup, 8 oz rolled oats & 1/4 teaspoon salt. The taste is slightly different to the bought ones as there are no preservatives.
 
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You can definitely buy muesli-type bars in most supermarkets on the camino...not as good as those here in the UK but they are there.
 
Since you were on the C2C, I too believe you were eating flapjacks, the British variety. Somewhere between Danby Wiske and Osmotherley, you pass the self-serve flapjack stand - I think it was called Diane's. They were a delightful treat for the hike in the day's afternoon rain.
 
Just for you Jill...a little video showing the making of flapjacks...not that I think you will need it.
I'm sure this is what you seek. Enjoy.

 
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Marbe2 said:
I know this Is not the original question,but related. Can you buy oats, whole oats, that one would use for granola bars in the supermercados in Spain?
Click to expand...
Yes, oats and flakes from other grains (e.g., spelt, barley, rye, etc.) can be easily purchased in Spain. Here in the city (in Barcelona) a range of flakes can be found at health food stores and in bulk/granel shops, often organically grown. In smaller places you might be limited to just oats which can be found in most supermarkets.
 
Got this from a nationwide daily.

The main ingredient is (rolled) oats.

Enjoy and kia kaha, kia māia, kia mana'wa'nui (be strong, patient and confident)
 

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Camino Preparation Guide
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What is Churchill rumoured to have said? "Americans and British are one people separated by a common language."

Here in North America, a flapjack is generally understood to be a pancake. When I google "flapjack definition", that's what comes up.

On the other hand, a snack bar made with oats we generally call a granola bar in my neck of the woods.
 
David Tallan said:
Here in North America, a flapjack is generally understood to be a pancake. When I google "flapjack definition", that's what comes up.

On the other hand, a snack bar made with oats we generally call a granola bar in my neck of the woods.
Click to expand...
Ditto! I am south of you, but in your neck of the woods.
 
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Thank you all so much for your replies.

“Flapjacks” here are doughy pancake things, nothing like the C2C bars, so I wasn’t sure I remembered the name correctly.

I really wish we could buy the British version here, as I am the world’s worst cook, but I will give it a go.

Commercial “muesli bars” are not the same thing, and nothing like the C2C bars, which all seemed to be local home-produced small business varieties, as each town we walked into had different ones on sale.

They were great – worth walking the C2C for!!
 
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jsalt
Flapjacks are the easiest thing to make. Give it a go you will surprise yourself
 
I agree with @muddy-mama ....go on Jill...they are easy and you can add a few chocolate chips to give you a little bit more gooey loveliness. A great addition for an energy boost as well.
 
We make these weekly. They aren't sweet enough to call them cookies, but we call them cookies. They are fairly dry, require chewing. They can be eaten raw or baked at 350 deg F for 15 minutes. We store them in the fridge. 3 'cookies' are one serving of oats and one of fruit.
4 cups of oatmeal (rolled oats are steamed, so these are cooked)
1 cup squash or sweet potatoes, cooked
1 banana
1 cup fruit puree (apple, grape, date, plum)
Mix all this in a food processor until it adheres together.
Add 1/2 cup raisins or chopped dried apricots or other dried fruit.
Turn on the food processor for another minute.
Make into balls, flatten, bake.
We eat wfpb'ed, we add ground flax and chia, 1/2 cup, so that it can replace breakfast if we run short on time or we just want a healthy snack.
 
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ApproachingBliss said:
We eat wfpb'ed, we add ground flax and chia, 1/2 cup, so that it can replace breakfast if we run short on time or we just want a healthy snack.
Click to expand...
Your mention of replacing breakfast reminds me of a packet of biscuits which I bought in a small shop somewhere in Spain (on the VdlP?). They were large and soft and could be eaten as a snack or for a trail lunch, if spread with peanut butter., or broken up and softened with milk (or hot water, in a pinch) to make a breakfast porridge. They were not nearly as tasty as all the recipes given here promise to be, but extremely flexible when on pilgrimage. I shall look for something similar when I am walking the Levante, hopefully, this fall.
 
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Camino Chrissy said:
I enjoyed the video, too, and the music was delightful as well. I may just give those UK flapjacks a try.
Click to expand...
I made the flapjacks yesterday and loved them! I used Bristle Boy's recipe, easy peasy. I added Sultans to mine. I did have to substitute the golden syrup with half molasses and half honey, but it didn't compromise the flavor...yum!
 
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Camino Chrissy said:
Great idea, Steve!
What stage of ripeness produces the best results in drying them?
Click to expand...
I would say before the peel get brown spots (over ripe).
It’s easier to cut and turn them over when the banana is not soft and ripe.
The slices can get slimy ;-) and slightly difficult to spread out before you put them in the oven.
I usually turn them over after a while.
Remember, the moist needs to disappear in the banana and from the oven so you might have to open the oven door a little bit.
 
And to keep the topic on track can be used in flapjacks, same as any dried fruit, nuts and seeds. But fruit is clearly a sign of problem parenting, why bother when chocolate has all the trace elements required in a diet.
 
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Perhaps they were oat cakes made by Nairns and available at most health shops.
 
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wfpb'ed - please, translate
 
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I’m frequently amazed by the quantity of highly processed foods that seem to comprise the average vegan diet
 
Sorry, off topic, but what @chinacat says is amply demonstrated by an article I saw yesterday.
chinacat said:
I’m frequently amazed by the quantity of highly processed foods that seem to comprise the average vegan diet
Click to expand...

Fakin’ the bacon: shoppers flock to try new vegan butchers

People queue for an hour for ‘cuts’ at the latest startups – and now supermarkets are opening meat-free counters
www.theguardian.com

I'll take flapjacks any day. They are very easy to make, and vastly better quality than any manufactured muesli bar. Nature's Valley ones are all sugar and popped rice. No, thank you.
 
Marbe2 said:
I know this Is not the original question,but related. Can you buy oats, whole oats, that one would use for granola bars in the supermercados in Spain?
Click to expand...
Yes - I found rolled oats in the supermercado - it was possible to have porridge and honey every day for breakfast during my 2 weeks as hospitalera in Nájera
 
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kirkie said:
wfpb'ed - please, translate
Click to expand...
I found it: whole food plant based. It was in an article I have just read. Sorry I closed it so can’t quote, but probably referred to somewhere above in this thread
Here it is, posted by @Raggy

Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet: A Detailed Beginner's Guide

A whole-foods, plant-based diet can help you lose weight and improve your health. Here is everything you need to know about a plant-based diet plan.
www.healthline.com
 
Albertagirl said:
Google says that peanut butter can be bought in Mercadona stores. I might also try to take a small container with me.
Click to expand...
Peanut butter is freely available in Spain but it is very heavy to carry. I have taken peanut butter powder on camino. It is useful for adding flavour if cooking supper and can be reconstituted with water for spreading on bread.
 
trecile said:
It's my understanding that peanut butter is hard to find in Spain.
Click to expand...
I never had a problem finding crema de cacahuetes (aka peanut butter) in the supermercados.
 
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A question from a US resident: what is “golden syrup”? I saw someone posted substituting molasses and honey, but what is the British original?
 
Becky 59 said:
A question from a US resident: what is “golden syrup”? I saw someone posted substituting molasses and honey, but what is the British original?
Click to expand...
I haven't tried it, but here's a recipe for homemade golden syrup

How to Make Homemade Golden Syrup

Save yourself money and learn how to make delicious homemade Golden Syrup with this quick, easy recipe and troubleshooting guide!
www.internationaldessertsblog.com
 
Becky 59 said:
A question from a US resident: what is “golden syrup”? I saw someone posted substituting molasses and honey, but what is the British original?
Click to expand...
Here is a short video on how to make golden syrup if you cannot buy it in your country.

 
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Jordan’s make good muesli bars ...



Personally, I prefer protein bars and I get them in Decathlon stores. The advantage is that they are less sweet, more sustaining and in addition available in Spanish Decathlon’s and Decathlon City mini stores (ie Caceres and Santiago for instance).

With regards to Golden Syrup, I guess the US equivalent might be corn syrup. Golden Syrup is made by the large UK sugar refiner Tate and Lyle.
 
Bristle Boy said:
Here is a short video on how to make golden syrup if you cannot buy it in your country.

Click to expand...
i‘ve just looked up ‘where to buy golden syrup’ and I see that it‘s still available in the can with the picture of the dead lion with flies buzzing around it. My father always told us - as very young children - that golden syrup was made from dead lions. Now I know different.
 
Takes me back to boarding school in Jersey in the 50’s....

I believe that the lions are technically not dead but ‘couchant’ (a heraldic term).

I date my tooth fillings to that period unfortunately!
 
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You poor thing....we have Birds Custard here in the UK. I am pleased to report no feathered friends are harmed in the production.
 
Becky 59 said:
A question from a US resident: what is “goldengoldensgyrupis syrup”? I saw someone posted substituting molasses and honey, but what is the British original?
Click to expand...
Golden syrup is NOT corn syrup, it is a light coloured sugar cane/beet syrup. Molasses is a darker, less refined cane syrup. Use of molasses is OK. Using it mixed with honey is OK, honey on its own is OK. Just don't add the concentrated refined sugar like you find in nearly all the commercial snackbar type things.

My mate eats his flapjacks with a chunk of cheddar. Now that is long lasting energy, but also points to a definite misuse of taste buds.
 
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That explains how golden syrup is compared to molasses or honey. How does it compare to maple syrup (which is the type of sweet syrup we see most often in my neck of the woods)?

For those not familiar with it, maple syrup is made by taking the sap of the sugar maple tree (which is anywhere up to 5% sugar) and boiling it and boiling it and boiling it until you have a syrup consistency and a nice golden to brown colour. It is what we eat with our flapjacks.
 
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I'm sure flapjacks wiuld taste good with maple syrup, but they would probably taste "mapley"...not a bad thing.
My use of half molasses and half honey had no special standout flavor...just a big dose of simple goodness.
 
David, The point is UK cottage industry style flapjacks are not swimming in overbearing sweetness, I suppose the correct amount of maple syrup may be used, but why would you when you have golden syrup or honey. Also I'm not sure how maple syrup would react with the chocolate chunks I personally need to make anything so full of healthy oats, seeds, nuts etc, actually edible.
I'm looking forward to the day when Heston Blumenthal devises a fish, chip, Mushy Pea, gravy and chocolate energy bar. (For those across the watter, chip=fries)
 
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I should have added a smiley. In my neck of the woods (or side of the ocean), "flapjacks" are pancakes. And pancakes here are commonly eaten with maple syrup (Canada producing 85% of the world's maple syrup according to trusty Google).
 
My mother’s flapjack recipe had applesauce as the sweetener. Sometimes she would add a little honey, but usually just applesauce. It was homemade applesauce too. Oh, the good old days!
 
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Oh, I almost forgot...the absolutely best "stick to your ribs" hiking/trail food snack from my experience and fills you up for the longest amount of time are "Cliff Bars". They are extremely dense and readily available at Costco, Walmart, Amazon, and a variety of other stores.
 
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David Tallan said:
I should have added a smiley. In my neck of the woods (or side of the ocean), "flapjacks" are pancakes. And pancakes here are commonly eaten with maple syrup (Canada producing 85% of the world's maple syrup according to trusty Google).
Click to expand...

The word ‘flapjack’ has always meant two entirely different things to me.

When ‘Wimpy Bars’ were still extant in the UK, they used to have Flapjacks on their menu.
This dish was Scotch (!) pancakes, with maple syrup and cream (dairy, not artificial).

I was going to mention this days ago but assumed someone else would probably post it ...
But no-one has ...am I really the only one who remembers these???
It was my first taste of maple syrup ...

The other was the tray bake that we’ve all been discussing at length and that was always a popular easy option for school bake sales

M&S, and many other supermarkets I guess, still sell the pancakes (about 3” in diameter) ... so it’s still possible to reproduce ”Flapjacks” at home
 
Those sound very good right now! Real maple syrup. Mmmmm...
 
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filly said:
View attachment 97624
Click to expand...
That image on the can is definitely remarkable!
I could see my father saying the same about “dead lions!” I probably would have refused to eat it if I’d heard that. I’ve never noticed the picture on the can before with the flies. What an odd thing to put on there! Now I’m very glad to know my mother used applesauce and honey instead of dead lions. Ha! (She was actually just doing that to make it more healthy. I don’t think her many children needed ANY more sugar!)
 
Apparently they are bees and the image an adaptation from a biblical story.
 
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Arn said:
Nope...the large, solid, hold in your hand, bite off a piece and chew pepperoni. The local Italian grocer in my neighborhood in Chicago sent me two sticks every week I was deployed overseas. I was very popular.
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I was jesting. I assumed you purchased the little pre-sliced packages of pepperoni type lunchmeat sold all along the Camino. I always used them with cheese and olives on my bocadillas.
 
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To much salt for me nowadays which is sad because I love chorizo which is as equivalent as you want to make it. Nothing nicer than a soggy oil drizzled bread, chorizo, tomato and manchego sarnie. Mmm, yummmmm.
 
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