Flapjacks

MMmmmmm...I just love flapjacks! Have you ever had them before? I was lucky enough to grow up with them - they made a frequent appearance from Nan's baking repertoire and I quickly fell in love with them, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a freshly baked batch.

This is actually double the amount I usually make, as I had a request/demand/statement made by my other half suggesting that the recipe doesn't make enough...

SO

First, I lined my trays but this is only because I don't actually possess a tray that is shallow enough to safely lift out the crispy golden wonders when they're baked.

So after that I weighed everything out and put it in my saucepan...I could have done with a larger pan, but made do with a medium sized one.  

To 280g/10 ounces of melted butter

I needed 450g/1 pound of oats. Then I tipped in 170g/6 ounces of raw sugar, followed by 2 tablespoons of golden sugar.  Nan and I differ here, she just uses 1 spoon.  It was fun to catch the picture of the golden syrup thickly trickling down the mini mountain of oats and sugar.  I like things like that.  It reminds me of dropping wooden ice lolly sticks in the stream as a child and watching their progress and willing them forth from a bridge over the stream.

So after I gave it all a good mix and made heaps of mess I tipped it into my tins and squashed it down, ready for baking.

I suppose this is where the aid of a palette knife comes in.  It does help if you have one.  If you don't, or if your trays are too deep like mine I always find that the back of a wet spoon works exceedingly well.  So, at this point I pop them in the oven, preheated to 190 degrees and they go on the middle shelf for 25 to 30 minutes.

And they should come out looking lovely and golden with a homely aroma of oats and butter...ah it's so wonderful! Do you know, strange as it is it took me so long to read Nan's recipe properly for some reason. To this day I just don't know why I neglected to make sure I cut the flapjacks while they are still warm.  So, to avoid the same mistake I urge you, leave them to cool for five minutes, then cut them in the tray and allow them to cool properly before lifting them out and onto a wire rack so they can set completely and turn themselves crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Fortunately and unfortunately a few of the flapjacks were too buttery and so they didn't set properly.  Ah I hate these moments. I always start beating myself up and wandering why I can't ever get anything right and how I always have to screw something up even if it's in the smallest degree. 

SO I had my huff and puff and STOMPED around the house for a few minutes, throwing myself on the couch and putting on my best frown before I suddenly recalled the awesomely huge Strawberries we still had not eaten sitting prettily in the corner of our fridge! 

So quite spontaneously,(now usually this makes me nervous but this time I had confidence)I decided I would not be defeated and use up the crumbly yet still delicious specimens in an impromptu Strawberry Crumble.  We enjoyed it later in that special silence which can only be indulged in when one dwells on the favourite flavours of food, savoring the special tastes of the moment.

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Please note that flapjacks are best eaten when stolen and quickly scoffed.  I like to run away with mine. Just in case.

Enjoy with reverence and endless thanks to Nan xx