Healthy Carrot Cake Flapjack Squares

As a kid i didn't really like cakes and the only thing in a bakery I would eat were flapjacks, they really were my favourite although it was always a treat to have one. I still like flapjacks now but gone were the days of enjoying the shop or bakery bought ones as I now prefer to make them myself and use lots of nuts and seeds and sometimes some citrus zest...ohh and now I'm feeling hungry! I don't really make them as often as I would like, purely for the fact of the high sugar and butter content so although they are packed full of oats, nuts and seeds I still always feel a tad guilty after I eat several slabs...oops, so following on from my healthy sweet recipes, I decided to try and make the good old fashioned flapjack healthy...not that easy hahaha! After much experimenting I've developed the closest I could without the use of sugar and large amounts of butter... This results in a moist flapjack and is a little more cakey but tasty never the less and ever so good for you :)) This healthy version would work well as a snack on the go, a late breakfast snack or something to eat after a workout...I'm happy with that :)!

Healthy Carrot Cake Flapjack Squares

180g (1 1/2 cups) rolled oats

100g (1/2 cup) banana

50g carrot grated

Handful of walnuts (broken into bits)

Handful of pumpkin seeds

25g butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp oil

Pre heat the oven to 150/140c fan

Add the oats, cinnamon, grated carrot, walnuts and seeds to a bowl

In a jug melt the butter in the microwave and add the mashed banana, honey, vanilla extract and oil and mix well

Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix well

Spoon into lightly oiled or buttered 8" square cake tin (loose bottomed or springform would be best) and bake in the oven at 150/140c fan for around 35 minutes 

You can of course use a smaller tin (foil tin) and they will be deeper and more cake like which I have done before