Delicious Dish

with Helen Kingscott

Deliciously chewy apple and date bites

Keep things simple this Christmas with a tasty traybake that is sure to be a hit with both children and adults alike. Makes 8 bites.

Ingredients:

150g cooking apples 150g stoned dates 280g light soft brown sugar 175g plain flour 225g butter 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 100g porridge oats

Method:

1 Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan/gas mark 5).

Grease and line an 18cm square tin. 2 Peel, core and chop the apples and put into a saucepan with about two tablespoons of water. Bring to the boil then simmer until cooked. 3 Add the dates and 50g of the sugar and continue to simmer for five minutes. Take off the heat then mash together with a fork until well mixed. 4 Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan then add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, oats and the remaining sugar and stir until well coated. 5 Press half of this mixture into the tin, spread the apple and date mixture on top, then cover with the remaining oat mixture. Press down gently

with the back of a spoon. 6 Bake for approximately 30 minutes until lovely and golden. Cool in the tin, then cut into squares. Tip: Make twice as many, as they’re very tasty and will disappear in no time, especially if you’re hosting family and friends over Christmas!