With essay deadlines approaching, I decided to whip up some honey flapjacks – this sweet little recipe will get you through the next few weeks. Originally I tried to make healthier flapjacks without butter or sugar, using only cranberry juice, porridge oats, seeds and dried fruits…as expected, this did not taste at all like I wanted it to. Perhaps it is an acquired taste so if you are interested in that recipe, feel free to contact me.
If stored in an airtight container and in a cool place (e.g. cupboard), flapjacks can keep for at least a week so it’s great to make these in a big batch and then snack on them throughout the week – although, with the help of my flatmates, my batch was gone within a few hours. I managed to make eight flapjacks but my star cutters gave mine quite a bit of depth so with a normal baking tray, you could probably make a batch of 12. Make sure also that you keep an eye on your flapjacks, since mine were a little overcooked on the top.
Although I kept my recipe quite simple (only adding seeds, sultanas and other dried fruits to my flapjack mix), I was really impressed at how many alternative ingredients you can use. Instead of honey, you can of course opt for golden syrup or maple syrup. To your mix, you might like to add a little bit of lemon, ginger, chocolate chips, vanilla extract, cinnamon or even peanut butter!
Ingredients: 200g porridge oats, 120g butter, 80g sugar, 4 tablespoons of honey, a handful each (or more) of sultanas, mixed seeds and mixed dried fruits
Preheat your oven at 180˚C. Melt your butter in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds if taken from the fridge (you want it to be not fully melted but not too hard and cold). Then, add your butter, sugar, honey and porridge oats in a bowl. Start mixing with a tablespoon, making sure the honey and butter soak into your oats and that your sugar is mixing well into the rest of the ingredients.
Add your sultanas, seeds and dried fruits to the bowl and keep mixing. After a few minutes, you may find that mixing with a tablespoon isn’t working well so use your fingers to finish mixing. Once you have finished mixing, pour your mix into cookie cutters (if you have any) or a baking tray, lined with kitchen foil or a bit of oil. Make sure to press down on the mix so that it stays tightly together and is flat. Cut the mixture into squares (if in a baking tray), before placing it into the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Tesco Scottish Porridge Oats 500g – 65p, Tesco Everyday Value Honey 340g – 99p, Tesco Granulated Sugar 1kg – 79p, Tesco Everyday Value Sultanas 500g – 84p, Lidl Salad Seed Mix – 99p, Lidl Berry Cherry Mix – £1.29. Total cost: £5.55. Cost per serving (12 flapjacks): 99p