No, not pancakes. Flapjacks.
These are a British snack bar made with oats. Think 'really filling granola bar.' They are highly addicting. And impossible to find in the States.
Oh, and just a word of warning - they are NOT a health food.
My sister and I each had summers abroad in England, and flapjacks were available in the dining halls. For both of us, any money left on the meal account for the day was used to buy flapjacks. A flapjack and an apple made for a really easy, filling yet portable lunch. Perfect for a student tourist! So, when Anne sent me a recipe she'd found for them, I HAD to add a few ingredients to my next grocery list to give them a try.
And yes, am counting this as a Pinteresting post, since I've now pinned recipes for two flapjack variations to my boards :)
There are a lot of recipe variations out there, but overall, these are surprisingly simple! Like Rice Krispie Treats, but using Golden Syrup instead of marshmallows, and oats instead of the cereal. The first recipe I found was at Smitten by Britain, but I also found recipes from BBC Channel 4 and from Chubby Hubby for reference/comparison. All Recipes has a good version too, but like I said, there are tons others out there with a quick search, so find one that you like.
Ingredients:
Notes & Variations:
Store in an airtight container.
Corn syrup can be substituted for the Golden Syrup. Golden Syrup just gives it a little bit of a distinctive flavor. Like I said, Golden Syrup has rather the consistency of honey, and if you're adding lots of extras to your batch, you might want to add a little more syrup to the butter-syrup mixture, just to keep things from crumbling apart. It is found usually in the International Food section of the grocery store, or at a specialty store like World Market.
Like granola bars, you can add all sorts of stuff to these. About - British Food lists a bunch of variations at the bottom of the page. You can add nuts, dried fruit, dried coconut... whatever strikes your fancy. I added 3 tbsp wheat germ, for sneaking in a little extra fiber. And 1 cup chopped almonds, for a little flavor and crunch.
There are a lot of recipe variations out there, but overall, these are surprisingly simple! Like Rice Krispie Treats, but using Golden Syrup instead of marshmallows, and oats instead of the cereal. The first recipe I found was at Smitten by Britain, but I also found recipes from BBC Channel 4 and from Chubby Hubby for reference/comparison. All Recipes has a good version too, but like I said, there are tons others out there with a quick search, so find one that you like.
Ingredients:
- 6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) butter
- 6 tbsp. Golden Syrup
- 2/3 cup unpacked brown sugar
- 4 cups oats (I like the old fashioned oats, not the quick-cooking)
- Pinch salt
- Whatever extras you want to add (I added wheat germ, chopped almonds, and chocolate chips)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan. You can use a 9" x 9" pan if you prefer; it just gives you thicker bars at the end. Optional: line the pan with baking parchment. This is really to help remove the bars later, since they are rather sticky.
- Place the syrup, sugar, and butter into a large saucepan over low heat. Stir until everything is well mixed and it's a relatively even consistency (i.e., all the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved). Note: make sure all the Golden Syrup is added (it's like using honey - tends to stick to the spoon). If you don't have enough syrup in the mix, the bars will come out very crumbly.
- Put the oats into a large mixing bowl, adding the pinch of salt. Pour in the syrup mixture and stir together. You want everything as evenly coated as possible.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. Be careful not to overcook, as they will end up dry and crunchy once they cool (you want them soft and gooey when cool).
- Let the pan cool on a wire rack. While still warm, cut into bars (I like rectangles, but I've also seen pictures of squares and triangles, if you have preferences). They will set as they cool, so don't remove from the pan until completely cool. They will crumble apart otherwise.
Notes & Variations:
Store in an airtight container.
Corn syrup can be substituted for the Golden Syrup. Golden Syrup just gives it a little bit of a distinctive flavor. Like I said, Golden Syrup has rather the consistency of honey, and if you're adding lots of extras to your batch, you might want to add a little more syrup to the butter-syrup mixture, just to keep things from crumbling apart. It is found usually in the International Food section of the grocery store, or at a specialty store like World Market.
Like granola bars, you can add all sorts of stuff to these. About - British Food lists a bunch of variations at the bottom of the page. You can add nuts, dried fruit, dried coconut... whatever strikes your fancy. I added 3 tbsp wheat germ, for sneaking in a little extra fiber. And 1 cup chopped almonds, for a little flavor and crunch.
I remember the chocolate flapjacks particularly, so I poured a bag of
semisweet chocolate chips on top, let them soften, and them spread them
across the surface like frosting. This is the closest I could come to
the chocolate topping I remember :) It was a little heavy-handed, honestly - in some places the chocolate was a little thick, even for my tastes. Next time I make these (and I will!), I think I'll use just a cup or 3/4 cup of chocolate chips, instead of the whole 12-oz bag.
Otherwise, though, great success!!
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