Banana and Apricot Baked Oat Bars

These bars have a funny history for me. I first made them on a Sunday when the fruit bowl was full of bananas going spotty and I had a courgette sitting in the fridge looking for a job. Nobody at my table could find the courgette afterwards, which is exactly the point. Grated vegetables melt into a soft, moist crumb, and the banana does most of the sweetening, so you get a bar that tastes like a proper treat without much fuss.

A fact worth knowing about the oats: jumbo rolled oats are simply whole oat groats that have been steamed and flattened into thicker flakes. They hold their shape better than quick oats, which is why they give these bars their chew rather than turning to mush. Soaking them in the water first softens them so they bake through evenly with the wet vegetables.

Two small tips from my own trial and error. Squeeze a little of the moisture out of the grated courgette with your hands before it goes in, or the bars can come out gummy in the middle. And keep an eye on the tray after twenty minutes. Ovens vary, and the foil trick saves you from edges that go too dark before the centre sets. Let the slab cool completely in the tin before you cut it, because it firms up as it sits and cuts far more cleanly.

For storage, they keep well in an airtight tin for several days, and they freeze beautifully. Wrap individual bars in baking paper and they thaw in an hour or so on the counter. I like them with a cup of tea in the afternoon, and they sit nicely next to a bowl of fruit. If you want something warm for breakfast, a warm apple and cinnamon mug porridge follows the same flavour path. A crunchy apricot and almond oat cluster is another good partner if you like a bit more crackle on the side. For a bit of sweetness on the same tray, the banana oat choc chip cookies make a fine companion.

Keep the cinnamon generous. It is the flavour that makes people ask what is in them.