ANZAC Slice became Protein Bars

We've been "running" since Friday morning with little break. Most of it good and some of it exciting, but for now I've got a magazine to check before it goes to the printer tonight, so I thought I'd share a recipe.

In the ongoing effort to provide portable, nutritious food to our wrestlers (and spectators) during meets, I modified a recipe the other day and it worked beautifully. We were packed like sardines into the stands yesterday, so plenty of people around me wanted to try what I'd made and it met with approval everywhere. Deliciously moist and chewy and not crumbly or dry, my ANZAC slice* became a Protein bar.

Here's the usual recipe (from here):

ANZAC Slice

Ingredients:
90g (1 cup) rolled oats
220g (1 cup) brown sugar
65g (¾ cup) desiccated coconut
220g (1 cup) flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
125g butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup (I guess you could substitute honey or maple syrup, or any type of syrup in here, really, though the taste would change)

Method:
1. Heat butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan on low heat for 1-2 minutes, until butter has melted and mixture is well combined.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add butter mixture to the dry ingredients, combine well.
4. Press firmly into a greased/baking-paper-lined pan (18x28cm) using a fork.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes in a 180 degree oven, or until golden. (Careful, it can burn quickly.)
6. Cool completely in pan. Cut into required sizes.

To make these into Protein Bars, I did some substituting with what I happened to have in my larder. I reduced the brown sugar a little bit as well as the flour and added in Protein powder (ours is chocolate flavoured and has a bit of sugar in it). I also added Chia seeds and Almond Flour. 

I can't tell you how much I substituted in, I didn't record it as I did it, but I was fairly conservative this time. I didn't have time for this not to work! You could add in sunflower seeds, nuts, even peanut butter and apple sauce (substitutes for butter). Be creative. The texture of the batter should be tacky and pretty easy to work with (not too dry or too sticky). It holds together well, so should hold together whatever you decide to add, as long as you don't add in too much.

They are filling, more so than a usual biscuit, I'd venture to say. Not a substitute for good food, but a slightly more healthy snack. A lot of homemade granola bars need to be kept in the fridge to stay together, but these don't, that's what was particularly attractive to me about them.


*Background: ANZAC is short for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, see my post here about the special day called ANZAC Day in April. The connection between the war and the biscuits (yes, the Commonwealth-useage of biscuit) is hard to pin down. Here is what Jamie Oliver has to say on it: http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/the-history-of-the-anzac-biscuit/