Last weekend I went out for a friend’s birthday. We were outside for much of the evening and I had to take a coat…a full on winter coat to guard against the chill! The crossover from summer jacket to winter coat is a deal breaker for me, that signifies that winter is truly on its way.

Today at work I also tucked up in a little scarf to keep me cozy until I’d warmed through.  All this winter talk could get me down, particularly when I feel like summer passed us by a bit this year…the odd hot day here and there….hmmm.

But there are two good reasons to be happy with the changing seasons. The first being the fact we have seasons! That may sound odd but the one things I really love about the UK climate is the dramatic seasonal changes with the golden leaves now emerging and the edge of a fresh chill in the air on a sunny day. It’s such a beautiful time of year and a great excuse to cosy in up in scarves and woollies for an evening stroll.

The second reason…oh just the fact that I am off on holiday to Turkey in 3 days time for a bit of longed for sunshine. It certainly helps soften the edge of this chilly weather…it’s always nice to think it’s cold back home for everyone else when you are sunbathing by the pool!

So here is my first autumn themed recipe of the season; a simple apple and cinnamon spiced slice. Since we also have a generous helping of coconut here, this bridges the gap between summer and autumn just perfectly. (P.s I am not promising I’m all done with the summer theme just yet though). I am also looking forward to getting on board the pumpkin train this year since I’m so inspired by my fellow bloggers across the pond. So watch this space.

Recipe: Apple spiced coconut slice 

Ingredients 

½ cup coconut butter (I use homemade)

¼ cup rapadura or coconut sugar

¼ cup agave

1 chia egg (1tsp chia and 3tbs water

½ banana- mashed

1 cup dessicated coconut

½ cup buckwheat flour (or other mild GF flour)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 medium apples- grated

Large handful of chopped dates

Method

Melt the coconut butter in a medium bowl and stir in the sugar, agave, chia egg and mashed banana. Add the dry ingredients and mix through well. Add the grated apple and chopped dates last and mix through evenly.

Spoon into a 8x8” parchment lined pan and pack down well. Press  some extra coconut flakes and dates onto the top if desired.

Bake at 180C for approx. 20-25 minutes until just golden. Allow to cool before carefully lifting from the tray and slicing.

Store in an airtight container. I have not tried freezing these bars, but I imagine they would freeze well.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.