After some recent comments from my mother that my portrayal of her cleaning skills has been less than favourable in previous blog posts, I thought I ought to share her amazing flapjack recipe. She actually has many flapjack recipes and has, since my baking trays have been packed away, been very kind and made me a few batches. How do Mums know, when you haven’t said a thing, the exact right time to deliver flapjacks, or phone to see if you’re OK?
This week I’ve been knee-deep in dust and work and very much in need of some sugary treats and a hug, and there, on Friday and Saturday, was my Mum, helping out with the work load; she worked for hours without complaint despite the builders cleavage, blue language and drilling in my dusty draughty house. And she came bearing gifts of lunch AND flap jacks.
What more could a girl ask hey? Well, obviously for a magic wand and Harry Potter to get the building work finished quicker – hey presto! So, Mum, if you’re reading my blog again, scouring for comments about your tardy housework techniques, they are all gone now by the way, the flap jacks that is, not the builders or the comments about your cleaning skills, just in case you feel like baking some more.
I must just say here, I think that less cleaning is actually better. I have been through phases of being fanatical about dust, but then, when I’m out anywhere with lots of dust I can hardly breath. I find I’m much better with the laissez faire school of housework. If the weather is good I think it’s much better for the soul to get outside and grab some fresh air. All housework and no play makes anyone a dull girl. However, right now, I would give anything for a clean house. It’s there, if a screw up my eyes really tight and squint, it’s not far off. There is light at the end of the dusty tunnel.
Back to these flapjacks though. They were so good that my friend Dee even picked up a big chunk that fell on the dusty floor and ate it! Now that is fair praise indeed for a flapjack – especially when you see the amount of dust on the floor. Did I mention all the dust?
So now I’ve got your taste buds watering I thought I’d better share a few flapjack recipes…
To make Mum’s flapjacks you will need:
- 8 oz of dairy free spread
- 8 oz demerara sugar
- 12 oz rolled oats (gluten free)
- 2 tbs or black treacle or golden syrup
And in case you don’t know how to make flapjacks, it’s really easy. Here’s how:
- Preheat oven to 375F or 180C
- Beat the spread and sugar, add treacle, then oats, mix together.
- Grease a baking tray, spread in the mixture and cook for 30-40 minutes.
- Cut into fingers when cold.
Honey flapjacks are also very tasty
4oz dairy free spread
1tbs runny honey
3 oz brown sugar
6oz rolled oats (gluten free)
Cream together the spread and sugar. Add the honey, then oats as above.
Cook at 350F or approx 170C for 35 minutes.
Prune and Pumpkin flapjacks – one of my favourites, from FoodsMatter.
(Dairy, wheat, gluten, corn, soya, egg and nut free)
- 100g dairy free spread
- 250g rolled oats
- 100g soft prunes, chopped small
- 200g maple syrup
- 100g pumpkin seeds
Here’s a slightly quicker method of making them…the ‘melt it all method’.
- Heat the oven to 180C/350C, Gas mark 4.
- Mix and heat all the ingredients together gently in a saucepan then press into the bottom of a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes.
- Cut into squares or rectangles then leave to cool in the tray before removing onto a rack.
This recipe makes about 12 flapjacks – but that depends how generous you are with the portions.
Sorry, I have no pictures of flapjacks for you – they’re all gone! Thanks again to Mum for the flapjacks and to all my friends who are being so kind and understanding while I struggle on here. You may have guessed I’m not finding living on a building site very easy.
Anyway I hope you enjoy the recipes above. Let me now your favourite flapjack recipe. I often don’t use the scales. You can just bung in what you have, add any dried fruit you want to add like sultanas or apricots, seeds like pumpkin, sunflower etc. and experiment. You could use sweetfreedom instead of honey/golden syrup which makes a slightly less sweet flapjack.
This one’s for you Mum.
This weeks flapjacks were actually this recipe – according to Mum, who isn’t very good at adding comments to blogs. So here goes, from Mum:
6oz butter (dairy free of course)
6oz soft brown sugar
4 and half oz golden syrup or honey (or a mixture of both)
12 oz porrridge oats
optional 6oz dried fruit
Melt butter sugar syrup honey in saucepan. Add oats and dried fruit.
Put in 8″ x 12″ tin 180/350/Gas 4 for just over 15 minutes. (recipe says 20 minutes but thats too long in my oven)
Cut when hot and leave in tin till cold.
Must be easiest recipe ever -and only saucepan, spoon and baking tray to wash up.
Reply to mum, just to check she’s still reading – I’d say that’s the perfect recipe for a lazy cook ;o) Just like you and me…
Another batch is made for you.
I love you Mummy :o)
You could make these even healthier using coconut oil in place of dairy free spread and rapadura sugar ( available in good health food stores or Online equivalents) to get the goodness from sugar that is normally refined out – even out of Demerara. Finally iron rich molasses is a great addition to or replacement for syrups.
Thanks Jenny. I’ve been looking for coconut oil so I’ll definitely try that. Dessicated coconut adds a nice twist too. Can’t wait! Never heard of rapadura sugar so I’ll look out for that. What’s the score with Agave syrup? Is that a good alternative too? And if molasses is good I’m very pleased – that will make a really gooey sticky flapjack. Mouther watering in anticipation.