Easy Flapjacks

Did you know that the term flapjack can refer to two different things? For Americans, a flapjack is a type of pancake - and this is apparently the original meaning of the word. This definition dates from the early 16th century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, and it was possibly this type of fare that Shakespeare made reference to in his play, Pericles, Prince of Tyre:

"Come, thou shalt go home, and we'll have flesh for holidays, fish for fasting-days, and moreo'er puddings and flap-jacks, and thou shalt be welcome."

For us Brits, flapjacks are something altogether different - a baked bar most usually made from oats, butter, sugar and golden syrup - and somewhat similar to what people from other English-speaking countries may call cereal or granola bars. This meaning came to the fore in the 1930s and now is really the only one we know here.

Flapjacks (the British sort) really are quick and easy to make, as you will see from the recipe below. More often than not you’ll have all the ingredients you need in your store cupboard, so they’re perfect if you need to make something at the last minute!

The plain ones are really yummy, but you can also add in raisins or cover with melted chocolate to add a bit of variety.

• Preparation: 10 minutes
• Cooking: 25 minutes
• Servings: 16 flapjacks

Ingredients

• 150g salted butter
• 75g sugar
• 3 large tablespoons golden syrup
• 250g rolled oats

Method

• Grease and line a square tin, approximately 20x20cm, or use a similar sized rectangular one.
• Next, melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan. Most recipes I have seen specify light brown sugar, but I find that normal granulated sugar works fine, too.
• Once the mixture has melted, remove from the heat and add in the oats. Mix well to ensure all the oats are covered.
• Add the mixture to the baking tray and flatten off with the back of a spoon.
• Next bake for around 25-30 minutes at 180°C (160°C for fan assisted ovens). Once the edges start to turn brown, remove from the oven and leave to cool for around 5 minutes.
• Finally, remove from the baking tin and cut into 12 squares.
• Alternatives: if you want to add in dried raisins, I would suggest using 100g. For those of you who want a chocolate topping, try melting a 200g bar of good quality chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids) in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Spread on top of the cooked flapjacks as they come out of the oven before leaving to cool.

NB This recipe makes around 16 flapjacks, but if you save it to your MyMeals365 app, you can change the number of servings and the app will work out the exact quantities of each ingredient you need.