Oat slice with apricots & orange blossom

Makes 12 decent-sized bars

I use semi-dried apricots for this recipe to keep the bars moist, but if you can only find dried ones, simply soak them in hot water for 20 minutes and drain before chopping.

250g semi-dried apricots

100g pecans, roughly chopped

50g pine nuts

50g dried golden berries (physalis) or golden raisins

zest of 1 orange

300g rolled (old-fashioned) oats

1 tbsp orange blossom water

125g grapeseed oil (or another pure vegetable oil)

125g granulated sugar

125g honey (orange blossom honey works best)

a pinch of saffron (if you like)

Preheat the oven to 375°F/350°F convection and line a shallow tray or tin with baking parchment. I use a rectangular 8 inch × 10 inch tray, but if you don’t have one, use a larger one and don’t quite fill it—this is a firm mixture that will hold its shape. Just make sure that whatever you use is at least 2 inches deep (the depth of the bars).

Roughly chop the apricots into thirds or quarters and mix in a large bowl with the pecans, pine nuts, berries or raisins, orange zest and rolled oats. Stir in the orange blossom water to combine.

Bring the oil, sugar, honey and a pinch of saffron (if using) to the boil in a large pan, mixing all the while with a long-handled spoon. Once the whole surface is bubbling and the ingredients look well combined, tip in the oat mixture. Stir thoroughly until the oats and fruit are coated in the syrup, taking care as this gets really hot.

Transfer to the lined tray. Lay a piece of baking parchment on the surface of the mixture and press down to flatten to an even depth of about 2 inches. Remove the piece of baking parchment and bake for 15–20 minutes until golden all over. Allow to cool entirely in the tray before cutting in half lengthways and then in six across, to make 12 bars in total. These will keep in an airtight container for 3–4 days.

Sour cream, pecan & cinnamon mini loaves

Not strictly a bar, this makes 8 small loaves (or bake in an 8½ × 4½ inch loaf tin and slice)

This is an easy mix-and-bake number. It is not the star of the show, just the ultimate sidekick for your mid-morning coffee. It is best eaten warm (or dunked in your morning drink).

1 vanilla pod

125g unsalted butter, at room temperature

zest of 1 orange

275g granulated sugar

3 eggs

140g/ml sour cream

160g self-rising flour (or 160g all-purpose flour plus 1½ tsp baking powder)

a pinch of table salt

To sprinkle

50g dark brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cardamom

90g roasted pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 375°F/350°F convection. Grease eight small loaf tins with butter spray and, if you wish, line each with a strip of baking parchment to cover the base and long sides, allowing a little to overhang so that this can be used to help lift the loaves out later.

Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod (see notes here). Beat the butter, vanilla seeds, orange zest and sugar until just combined. The mixture should come together in a ball but take care not to overbeat or cream. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each one fully so that the mixture is completely smooth before adding the next. Mix in the sour cream, then the flour and salt (if you are using a mixer, you can work at full speed for a few seconds at this stage to make sure everything is well combined).

Mix the sugar, spices and pecans together. Divide half the batter between the loaf tins and spread to cover the bases. Then divide half the nut mixture between the tins, sprinkling it over the batter. Divide the remaining batter between the tins and top with the rest of the sugar-and-spice nuts.

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the tins for an even bake. Leave for a further 10 minutes before removing from the oven. (If you are baking this in one large loaf tin, you will need to leave it for another 15–20 minutes to cook through.) Eat warm.