ANZAC Lunchbox Slice
I admire the work that Bel Smith from The Root Cause, and her family are doing with The Mad Food Science Program. Educating children on how to eat more healthy food, and less packaged food is what The Root Cause is all about, which is why Bel is the perfect ambassador for No Packet November. Bel travelled around Australia in a big, green bus with her family to spread the word. Let's take a look at her take on ANZAC biscuits below.
I don’t have a lot of space in the bus, so I like to have a core set of ingredients I can use multiple ways. I recently shared a recipe for my Mum’s Anzac Biscuits Rejigged (ie. refined sugar free and much less sweet than mum’s) and based on the comments I received, they were loved by those who tried them. So I decided to use that recipe and have a play around until it became a suitable slice for the lunchbox. The result is this Anzac Lunchbox Slice. It’s quite a thick filling slice packed with oats and seeds, and a little bit of sweetness. A slice of this would also be great to help fill the gap between school and after school sports training.
Since making this Anzac Slice, I have played around and created another 2 recipes. Another slice and some biscuits. I have added how to do this to the bottom of this recipe.
Ingredients
300g butter
1 cup rice malt syrup
1 tspn bi-carb soda
2 tblspn boiling water
2 cups rolled oats (use GF if you wish)
2 cups plain flour (use buckwheat for GF)
1.5 cups coconut (shredded or desiccated)
1/2 cup sultanas, (soaked in water for 5 minutes)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, roughly chopped
1/4 cup pepitas, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cacao nibs (or good quality chocolate chopped into pieces)
Method
Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees, and line 2 baking trays
Mix oats, flour, coconut, sultanas, sunflower seeds, pepitas and cacao nibs in a bowl
Melt butter and rice malt syrup over medium heat until well mixed, then turn off
In a separate dish, add the bi-carb soda then mix in the boiling water until combined
Stir bi-carb mixture into the butter mixture – it will froth up (fun for the kids to watch)
Add this frothing mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until all ingredients are wet. Taste if sweet enough for your family. Add more rice syrup if needed.
Line a lamington tray with baking paper and pour mixture into the tray
Use your the pad of your fingers or the back of a spoon to firmly push down the mixture, ensuring it has even
At this stage, I like to score / cut the the mixture into the size slices I want to have. I find I have more success at cutting it at this stage, than trying to cut it after it’s cooked. Cut the slices almost all the way through to the bottom of the mixture
Bake for 40-50 mins until dark golden brown
Cool in the pan. Once cool, use a sharp knife to cut the rest of the way down to the bottom of the mixture, then remove the slices out to lamington tray. Place on a wire rack to totally cool.
Freezing / Storing Instructions
Keep in an airtight container. Can also be frozen and popped straight into lunchbox.
