Belinda Jeffery

I make these bars with glace ginger as I adore it, but you can make them with whatever dried fruits happen to be in your pantry…raisins, sultanas, chopped dried apricots and dates all work really well.

Makes 16 – 24 bars or squares, depending on size

Preheat your oven to 180C (160C FF). Line a 27 x 18 x 3cm slice tin with baking paper and set it aside.

Tip the flour, crushed bran flakes and sugar into a large bowl and use a balloon whisk to thoroughly mix them together. Add most of the ginger, reserving a small handful of slices to decorate the top. Stir the ginger in well so the slices don’t stick together. Make a well in the middle of the mixture. Stir the vanilla into the melted butter, then pour this into the well and thoroughly mix everything together. Use your hand to press the mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared tin. I usually roll a tumbler over the top to make it as flat as possible. Now press the reserved ginger all over the top.

Pop the tin in the oven and bake the slice for 25 minutes, or until the top looks a bit browner, especially around the edges. If you gently press the surface with your fingers, it will feel quite soft and spongy, but don’t worry, it will firm up as it cools.

Sit the tin on a wire rack and leave the slice to cool completely. To cut it into bars, use the paper lining to lift the slice out of the tin onto a board. Then use a chefs knife to cut it into bars, squares or diamonds. (If you’d like really sharp edges on the bars, chill the slice for an hour or so before cutting it).

To store the bars, layer them between sheets of baking paper in an airtight container, seal it tightly, them pop them in the fridge. They keep well for a week or so…although ours never seem to last that long!!