HOME

RECIPES

ABOUT ME

Batch Snacks – 1st Feb 2026

In this instalment of my batch snacks series, I’m sharing easy ideas on how you can use store cupboard ingredients to make some delicious treats in under 2 hours. As with all of my recipes, I will be the first to hold my hands up and say that I’m not a chef! I’m a mum that enjoys trying new recipes and making tasty food with UPF free ingredients. Portion sizes and flavours are to suit my young family – so feel free to customise to suit your tastes!

There are quite a few crossover ingredients in these bakes:

  • Bananas
  • Chia Seeds
  • Cacao Powder
  • Oats
  • Raisins / Sultanas
  • Frozen Berries

If you can cook using similar ingredients in one batch cooking session, this enables you to make some cost efficiencies and reduce waste. Another great tip, is that you’ll notice I’m using quite a lot of bananas – often overripe bananas can be found reduced in the shop or in my case, they’re often available at our food waste centre. This is a great way to save that food going to waste and usually save on cost too!

Shopping List

If you wanted to make all the snacks – here is the full ingredients list. You might find like me, that you already have a lot of these items in your kitchen:

  • 8 overripe bananas
  • 240ml milk (dairy or oat)
  • 405g self raising flour
  • 265g plain flour
  • 250g rolled oats
  • 225g unsalted butter
  • 200g raisins or sultanas
  • 125g light brown sugar
  • 1 bag frozen raspberries
  • 1 bag frozen blueberries
  • 1 bag chocolate chips (optional)
  • 75ml vegetable oil
  • 70g maple syrup
  • 70g chia seeds
  • 60g crushed cornflakes
  • 50g cacao powder (or cocoa is fine too)
  • 2 eggs

Along with store cupboard items like salt, olive oil, mixed spice, cinnamon and vanilla extract.

Recipes

Blueberry & Cacao Pancake Bars

This recipe is a great time saver for busy mornings, as you can simply take them from the oven and reheat in the airfryer. They also work as a cold snack in lunchboxes and you can swap in your favourite flavours – Raspberry and white chocolate chip is another favourite of ours! When you pour into your oven tray, it is important to not fill it too deep, otherwise you risk the batter taking a long time to be fully cooked.

Ingredients:

  • 3 overripe bananas (peeled)
  • 2 eggs
  • 200-220ml milk (dairy or oat)
  • 180g Self Raising Flour
  • 100g raisins or sultanas (soaked in boiling water & drained)
  • 2–3 tbsp cacao powder (optional — see note below)
  • 30-50g maple syrup
  • ¼ bag frozen blueberries (handful of fresh is also fine!)

Optional extras:

  • 30–50g maple syrup or honey
  • Handful of chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Pinch salt

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C
  2. Mash or blend bananas until smooth
  3. Add eggs, milk and vanilla then whisk (either by hand or in food processor)
  4. Add flour, cinnamon and salt and combine
  5. Fold in raisins / sultanas and any extras
  6. Pour into lined tin (approx 20x30cm) and then add the blueberries on-top
  7. Bake for 30-40 mins until set (if a knife comes out clean then you know its cooked through)
  8. Cool fully before slicing.

Blueberry Crumble Bar

This is the sweetest of the snacks I made today, so I only give the kids a small portion of these! There are some great lower sugar shortbread recipes out there, so you could definitely swap in for one of those if you have young children and / or are limiting sugar. These are great defrosted from the freezer, or you can pop them frozen in the air fryer and serve warm!

Ps. You’ll also spot I made 2 types of crumble bar in the video – I was using up some leftover homemade mincemeat in the other batch as this also works really well!

Ingredients:

  • 265g plain flour
  • 125g light brown sugar
  • 100g oats
  • 225g unsalted butter (cold and diced)
  • ¾ Bag of frozen blueberries

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C then line a baking tin (20 cm) with baking paper
  2. Place flour, brown sugar and oats in a food processor and mix
  3. Add butter and mix until combined into a crumb like consistency
  4. Pour most of the mix into the base of the tin and press down firmly
  5. Top with frozen blueberries and then sprinkle the remaining shortbread crumble on the top (I also sprinkled some cinnamon on mine)
  6. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden
  7. Wait to cool before slicing

Cacao, Banana & Raisin Muffins

This recipe is from one of my absolute favourite nutritionists; Charlotte Stirling Reed. She shares excellent advice on her Instagram and Blog about how to nourish your family and make simple swaps for a healthier diet.

The recipe can be found via her blog here: SR Nutrition Chocolate Raisin Bread Recipe

Tweaks I’ve made:

  • I usually make mine in a muffin or mini muffin tin as this works well for lunchboxes (they usually take 15-20 mins to cook in this format)
  • I add 1-2 tbsp chia seeds into the mix
  • Sometimes we add a handful of chocolate chips too!

Cornflake, Cacao & Chia Bars

In the video, you’ll see that I made this recipe with one of my children and it was so much fun! She loved smashing up the cornflakes and adding a lot more chocolate chips than I had planned! This keeps for 1-3 days in an airtight container, or you could freeze.

  • Ingredients:
  • 2 medium overripe bananas
  • 150g rolled oats
  • 40g crushed cornflakes (reserve a handful for topping)
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds or ground flax
  • 2tbsp cacao powder
  • 2–3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch cinnamon (optional)
  • Handful choc chips
  • Pinch salt

Method

  2. Preheat oven to 180°C
  3. Line a small brownie tin or loaf tin with parchment.
  4. Smash up the cornflakes!
  5. Mash bananas in a bowl until smooth.
  6. Add oats, cornflakes, cacao, chia, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, honey / maple syrup and olive oil
  7. Press firmly into the tin and top with reserved cornflakes & chocolate chips
  8. Bake for 18–22 min until golden and set.
  9. Cool fully before slicing

Raspberry Chia Jam

I absolutely love this kitchen hack as it could not be an easier recipe to follow! All you need is a bag of frozen raspberries and some chia seeds! This keeps well in the fridge for 1-3 days and I like to use mine on toast, mixed into yoghurts or even in baking.

Ingredients:

  • Handful frozen raspberries
  • 2-3 tbsp chia seeds
  • Splash water

Method:

  1. Place the raspberries in a microwave safe container with a splash of water and heat until warm
  2. Mash the raspberries with a fork then stir in the chia seeds
  3. Leave overnight in the fridge to set – the chia seeds will swell and thicken the jam