THE RETURN OF THE FAB AND FAST FLAPJACKS

One of my favorite things to make when I first got into baking were these fab and fast flapjacks. Even the most novice of bakers can have a good crack at them. It was one of the first recipes I ever posted on the blog and realizing I hadn't made any in quite a long time and with lots of oats sitting around my kitchen I thought it was time to revisit this classic recipe and give it a little bit of a facelift. I've refined the recipe slightly but it's still those same gooey flapjacks with that gorgeous crisp crust and naughty layer of chocolate spread of the top.

Not only if it great recipe for kids to get stuck into as well as baking beginners, it's also a fabulous recipe for mixing up if you want to make different varieties of flapjacks. My recipe below is my favorite take on them. You might not be fan of raisins though so feel free to replace them with 100g of chopped nuts, dried fruit or whatever you like really. The rule is that the the total weight of your oats and your accompanying filling must be 700g. If you decide you don't want to add in any extra's then you must use 700g of oats.

The chocolate topping is also optional. You can use milk or white chocolate on top instead if you wish but I find the bitterness of dark chocolate works really well with the sweetness of the sugar and syrup in the flapjacks. Alternatively, if your pretending that you're being healthy you can leave the chocolate off altogether (but why you would want to do that is beyond me!).

This recipe  is truly one of my favorites! Give it a go and I promise you will not be disappointed. This does make quite a large batch though so if you want you can half the quantities for a more manageable bake if you so wish (although in my eyes the more flapjacks the better right?).

Fab And Fast Flapjacks

350g Butter
350g Golden syrup
350g Dark Brown Muscovado Sugar
600g Oats
100g Raisins
Zest Of 1 Lemon
2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
200g Dark Chocolate

1. Start by getting your oven straight on to 150 degrees (130 fan) and grease and line a large deep sided baking tray (roughly 35cm x 25cm) with baking paper.
2. In a very large pan, throw in the butter and melt it over a medium heat. Pour in the golden syrup and and the sugar and keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Take your pan off the hob and throw in the oats, raisins, lemon zest and cinnamon and give everything a good mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
4. Tip the mixture onto the baking tray and spread it evenlyacross the tray, pressing it all down to pack it all in.
5. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, turning the tray after 20 minutes to ensure an even bake. The flapjacks should be ready when the edges look firm and are coming away from the side of the tray. The middle will still look soft but this will firm up as the flapjacks cool.
6. Remove the flapjacks from the oven and leave to cool completely. Don't be tempted to cut them until cool or they will simply crumble and fall apart.
7. Once the flapjacks are cool, place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water ensuring that the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Place the chocolate into the bowl until the chocolate has melted.
8. Pour the chocolate onto the top of the flapjacks and spread it out to form an even layer.

Wait for the chocolate to set and then you can begin to cut the flapjacks into juicy big squares. Do not be tempted to put the flapjacks in the fridge at any point otherwise they will become tooth breakingly hard. They are good, but not worth loosing some gnashers over! Make sure that you serve your flapjacks with a big pot of tea otherwise you are a crazy person and your flapjacks will be confiscated. Bite through the chocolate layer and the crisp crust into the gooey, chewy flapjacks centre and you'll be heaven. There a many fabulous things in the world and these fast flapjacks are one of them. I won't be leaving it so late to make my next batch this time!