Back To School With Healthy Snacks

Whether your children are starting at a new school or just starting a new academic year this autumn, you can start them off with the best intentions. As well as making sure that their uniform and school kit is all ready for action, spend some time resolving to boost their energy and brainpower levels by providing them with a healthy diet.

Fruisana Fruit Sugar has come up with a couple of cracking ideas to set you off on the right track – these healthy snacks are really easy to make and perfect to pop into the lunchbox or have ready for when they return home after a hard day’s learning!

By using Fruit Sugar (or fructose) rather than ordinary sugar (sucrose) you will find that the results taste far better (this is because Fruit Sugar enhances flavours, particularly of spices and other flavourings such as chocolate, and fruits).

Not only do they taste better, but because Fruit Sugar is lower GI* than sugar,(Fruisana has a GI of only 19) the energy levels are sustained and those dreaded energy troughs are avoided, which will help with concentration and still leaves them the energy to take much needed healthy exercise. If you have a family member who has Type II Diabetes, by using Fruisana in your baking you can produce delicious, health results which can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Oat Cookies with Raisins and Welsh Bread and other perfect packed lunch treats are featured in a free 16 page recipe colour booklet produced by Fruisana. To obtain your copy of Baking with Fruit Sugar, email information@fruisana.com.

Oat Cookies with Raisins

125g margarine
125g Fruisana Fruit Sugar
50g raisins
125g wholemeal flour
250g oat flakes
1 tsp baking powder
60ml skimmed milk

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.
2. Cream the margarine and Fruisana until pale.
3. Chop the raisins into small pieces. Sift together all of the dry ingredients including the Fruisana and add to the creamed mixture, followed by the raisins.
4. Add the milk gradually and mix thoroughly.
5. Mould spoonfuls of the mixture into round shapes and place in paper cases. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Then cool on a wire rack.

Bara Brith (Welsh Bread)

60g raisins
60g currants
30g mixed peel
100g tea infusion (1 tea bag/100ml water)
30g Fruisana Fruit Sugar
1tsp mixed spice
150g white self raising flour
1 egg, whole

• Prepare the tea infusion, add the fruit and soak for a minimum of 1 hour or preferably overnight.

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C, gas mark 3. Place all the ingredients including the tea infused fruit and the liquid, into a bowl. Mix until all the ingredients are fully combined together.
2. Place the mixture into a greased and lined 1Ib loaf tin, place in the oven and bake for approximately 1hr 20 minutes.
3. After baking and whilst still hot, brush the surface of the Bara Brith with milk.
4. Remove from the baking tin and cool on a wire rack. Remove the lining and cut into thin slices. Toast and butter to serve.