Flapjacks are so easy to make and lend themselves to a choice of ‘extras’ according to personal taste. Easy and fun to make with children to introduce them to baking. I have used jumbo oats in this recipe but rolled oats are fine too. This version is a bit more ‘grown up’ with its dark chocolate content and is perfect with morning coffee or to take for sustenance on a long walk.
Ingredients:
- 200gm/7oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
- 300g/10oz golden syrup, or a mix with honey or agave for a soften crumb
- 450g/1lb jumbo rolled porridge oats
- Pinch salt
- 200gm dried, ready to eat stoned prunes, roughly chopped
- 50gm crumbled pecans
- 100gm very dark plain chocolate, chopped into very small cubes
- 1 level tsp 100% cacau powder
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160 Fan/ Gas 4. Grease a 20cm/8’’ square cake tin with butter, then line the base and sides with baking parchment.
- Slowly bring the butter and syrup to the boil in a saucepan, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat. Mix the oats with the cacau powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then tip into the butter and syrup mixture. Stir until well combined, then add the chopped prunes, pecans and chunks of chocolate.
- Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin, then press it into an even layer using the back of a wooden spoon. Press quite firmly to ensure the baked result ‘sticks’ together and doesn’t crumble apart when being cut.
- Bake for 45 mins or so, or until darkened. Set aside to cool slightly in the tin, then run a round bladed knife around the inside edges of the tin and cut the flapjack into squares. Leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
These store well in a sealed container for a week – if they last that long!