British berries are fantastic. A short walk through the woodlands and you will find many identifiable (as well as mysterious) berries growing on bushes.
It is a massive comfort in many ways, as I grew up spending my weekends and summers in Northern Ontario in Canada, surrounded by wilderness. Holding my childhood memories in nature, I realize how fortunate I am to even just have a deeper connection to where our food comes from.
These abundant forests, that I still consider my home, grew blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and even the stay black bear indulging on the same tart delicacies. Visiting my parents house, I can still walk around the property among deer, beavers, and loons and pick raspberries for a pie or cake.
Of course, wild raspberries are probably 1/10th the size of farm grown, and are packed with flavor like no other. We sometimes will pick them in late august (if the animals haven’t beat us to it) and freeze them for a later date. You can of course do this with farmed local berries when in season (as they taste better and hold more nutrients then off-season). It’s perfect for pies, or breakfast oat bars like this!
In this recipe, I’ve used my base for breakfast bars, which is gluten free oats, a ripe banana, coconut oil and maple syrup. You can add whatever you like to this, just follow the recipe and flavor accordingly!
Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Breakfast Bars
Serves 12
30 Minutes
Ingredients
-1 Cup Gluten Free Oats
-1 Ripe Banana
-1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil, melted (I use Lucy Bee, as it is fair trade and rated 1st in ethical coconut brands)
-3 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
-1 Tsp. Vanilla
-1/2 Cup Organic British Raspberries
-1/2 Bar Dark Chocolate (I use Montezuma 100%, but you can use anything over 75%)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Mash your banana in a bowl, combine oats, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Chop Dark Chocolate into chunks, and add to bowl with the raspberries and fold into oat ‘batter’ gently.
4. Bake 15-20 Minutes until golden. Cool completely and cut.
Keep covered for 2-3 days, in fridge for 5, or store in freezer for 1 month.