To find the perfect flapjack
Moist, chewy and with the right amount of sweetness. Yet in all my years baking I have never found a recipe with the right combination of butter (salted or unsalted?), golden syrup (only ever Tate & Lyle), oats (jumbo or normal?) and sugar (brown, demerara, white?) to make that perfect flapjack. Cooking times and oven temperatures seem to vary just as much as ingredients.
Today's attempt came from Nigella's Domestic Goddess. I had high hopes given some of the other wonderful things that have come out of this book and I only tinkered with the recipe to add some chocolate chips... perhaps that was my downfall. My chief taster declared them "a little dry but tasty"... but I beg to differ. They are very dry, not at all chewy and not nearly sweet enough for my taste.
Although I did manage one with my afternoon cuppa.
What's your favourite flapjack recipe... have you found the perfect one?
20 comments:
I take it you won't be waiting for me to answer in the affirmative. If you ever need a taster ...... xx
YES i have!! They're very fruity, lovely and moist and strangely includes eggs.
3oz ready-to-eat prunes
3oz ready-to-eat dried apricots
3 1/2oz butter plus extra for greasing
3 1/2oz sugar
5 tablespoons of honey
6oz porridge oats
6oz Dorset muesli of choice (I like the very nutty one)
3oz raisins or sultanas
2 eggs
Grease a 11" x 9" shallow baking tin or similar. Heat oven to 180C, gas mark 4.
Chop the prunes and apricots into small pieces.
Melt the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan. Take off the heat and mix in the oats, muesli, and all the dried fruit. Leave to cool for 5-10 mins then beat in the eggs.
Pour the mixture into the tin and level out. Bake in the oven for 20 mins until pale golden but still soft. Leave in the tin til cool then cut into slices.
I can guarantee these will be devoured, they don't last long in my house!
x
Joanna's recipe sounds very interesting. I used to make cakes and flapjacks regularly years ago when our children were still at school and arrived home starving each day. I can't remember which recipe I used now - it could have been one of Delia's. You are right about the variations - I hate the oversweet ones, the stodgy ones, and the hard ones which almost break your teeth.
I might have to trial a few recipes especially as flapjacks are so healthy!!
No actually, I haven't Gina, so I'm going to be very interested in your comments to see what everyone comes up with!!
Vivienne x
Gina, I also will have to watch this space...I have never had the pleasure of eating a single flapjack, although I do have a general idea of what they might be like.
xo
Blogger has scrambled your post and there are photos of brownies, granola bars and blondies, not flapjacks.
Flapjacks are round and cooked on a griddle and served in the morning with butter and syrup. Blogger can be so crazy.
Diane
oh yum Gina. that looks good and chewy. my mum used to make parkin - which I seem to remember is even stickier and chewier.
Something else that I have never tried to bake, don't think I have eaten one either, they look very sweet to me.
Oh it's not just me then.I used to have the perfect recipe but it somewhere along the line it got lost. I've tried many recipes just plain flapjacks no fruit or chocolate but to no avail. As you know the kitchen isn't my favourite place so I gave up. If you do find one would you please share it? I'm available for testing anytime.
As Joanna says,chopped apricots are the secret. Haven't made them for years.
My favourite recipe for Flapjacks or as my nan called them oat bars is:
Melt 4oz butter,
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 tabs goldern syrup
Mix in 1cup of rolled oats
1/2 cup of coconut
3/4 cup of SR Flour
Melt butter, sugar & goldern syrup together, then pour over the oats, coconut & flour. Mix well till all combined. Press into a greased & lined baking tray & cook in a moderate 180 degrese C oven for 15 mins. Then a further 10 mins on a low oven until goldern brown. Cut immediately & then allow to cool in the tin, if you can wait that long :-)
Hope you enjoy this version.
Hugs Elizabeth xx
I have the secret Gold Medal flapjack recipe. It is very simple, reliable and approved for picnic use. You may find it a bit sweet if you are used to ones filled with fruit etc but I will email it to you so that you can try it.
Don't flapjacks improve with keeping? Next challenge is to put them away for a few days without eating them. Parkin is similar, a rather dry cake unless left for a week.
They look very nice - good luck with your quest.
Ooooh, yum! I don't have a favorite recipe, but I'd sure like to have one. If you fine it, I hope you'll post it. (Especially if it's secret LOL!)
Hi Gina, I think you'll be lucky to find a flapjack recipe that works every time. Mine are sometimes good and sometimes not. I'll look out all my old recipes and try them, if any work really well I'll let you have them.I won't eat any, I'm on a diet which is going far to slowly. You can see why.
Annya
Ah, I was going to suggest you used The Domestic Goddess recipe. Ha! I find they come out alright, to be honest and, living in France with limited Golden Syrup supplies and therefore limited flapjack making, Nigella's recipe keeps me happy enough.
I am watching the other answers like a hawk ;-)
Hello, by the way!
Stephanie
I have struggled with flapjacks down the years too........ really hard to guess when they are cooked and I tend to leave them in "just a few minutes longer" and end up with them too hard. However, I do like them with prunes added.
Gina, the best recipe I ever tried was found on the back of the porridge box! Good old Scott's porridge oats and a lot of other sticky ingredients. I didn't try them but my husband polished them off in double quick time.I think they're one of those recipes with so many permutations that you just have to keep sampling...
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