Flapjack!

I’m staying true to my British roots and talking about the weather.  It’s sunny!  This weekend we have a friend visiting.  We’ve been walking, talking, eating, drinking, watching superhero films (Iron Man 1 and 2, Captain America) and enjoying our home town in tourist mode by visiting the castle and the museum.  I’ve been so busy having a good time I forgot to mention this flapjack I made last week.  I urge you to make this flapjack.  It will help you face a long day at work.  It will brighten up your cup of tea.  It will stop you dozing off at your computer (maybe).

I spied this recipe for Chewy Granola Bars (aka Flapjack) on Orangette, the original recipe came from Smitten Kitchen.  I love how easy they are to throw together and how lovely and chewy they are without being too sweet or nearly breaking your teeth.  They also keep in an air tight container for up to 5 days.  Perfect for a week worth of snacks but I doubt they will hang around that long.

Recipe adapted from Orangette

155g gluten free rolled oats

35g gluten free oat flour (or grind 35g oats in a food processor)

30g sugar (Original recipe calls for 67g)

110g pecan halves

25g coconut chips

40g dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)

85g cacao nibs (or 70% dark chocolate chopped)

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

85g almond butter or peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

85g unsalted butter melted

6 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4, 180°C, 350°F.  Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment.

In a mixing bowl stir together the oats, oat flour, sugar, pecans, coconut chips, cacao nibs, dried cranberries and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl whisk together the almond butter, vanilla extract, melted butter, honey and water.  Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients and mix together well.  Pour the mixture in to the baking pan and press the mixture down firmly to ensure an even surface.  I used Molly’s tip of using cling film to save getting your hands sticky.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the flapjack is brown around the edges.  (I have an appalling oven so mine took a bit longer.)  Remove from the oven and allow to completely cool in the pan.  This may take a few hours.  Once fully cooled, remove the flapjack from the pan using a knife to cut around the edges.  You should be able to simply lift the flapjack out of the pan by pulling up the parchment paper.  Cut the flapjack in to squares.  They are a bit crumbly so you might want to set them in the fridge for a bit longer to avoid this.  I didn’t bother as I couldn’t wait to start picking and hey that’s what crumbs are for after all!