No-bake breakfast bars

Adorned with rose petals and sunshine-yellow strips of lemon, these little squares of fudgy oats feel like a proper indulgence. Tangy icing balances the richness. Cut them into squares – or into bitesized pieces to pop into the mouth in one go! They also work well for tea.

Ingreadient

• 100g unsalted butter
• 300g Duchy Organic Jumbo Rolled Oats
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes, plus ½ tsp
• 5 pitted medjool dates, roughly chopped
• 397g can Essential Condensed Milk
• 100g crunchy peanut butter
• 1½ unwaxed lemons, zest of all, juice of ½
• Cooks’ Ingredients Aromatic Rose Petals (optional)
• 180g Essential Soft Cheese (full fat), chilled
• 15g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp whole milk

Step by step

1. Line a 15cm x 23cm shallow baking tin with baking parchment. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. When it starts to foam, stir in the oats and toast until they turn golden brown (around 6 minutes). Stir in 1 tsp sea salt flakes and the chopped dates. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Put the condensed milk, peanut butter, ½ tsp salt and the lemon juice in a small pan. Whisk well to combine, then warm very gently over a low heat for 5 minutes. When the mixture has thickened slightly, remove from the heat and stir in the toasted oats. Carefully pour the sticky oat mixture into the lined tray and spread it out evenly using a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon. Press down firmly to ensure the top is levelled. Set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, make the icing: put the cheese, icing sugar, milk and most of the lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of sea salt flakes and, using a balloon whisk, gently beat the ingredients together for a few minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy and holding its shape when whisked. Spread the whipped icing evenly on top of the oats. Sprinkle with the remaining zest and rose petals, if using. Chill for a minimum of 3 hours (or overnight) to set.
4. After chilling, lift the set oats onto a chopping board and slice into small squares using a sharp knife. You may need to clean the knife in between slices to keep the edges neat.