Flapjacks were a hit in our house long before babies. I originally got my recipe from one of my closest friends Kathy and its evolved with each baby into this recipe. I even had the ingredients out to make these one Sunday morning in preparation for Ned’s arrival into the world but they never got made because I went into labour with Ned that night a week early. This recipe is a hit with the whole family and covers so much during the week from playschool lunchboxes, snacks, swimming bag, tea break and breakfasts!

Let me know how you find the recipe and please tag me in any pics. I love seeing them ❤️

Ingredients:

– 4 cups of oats

– 1 cup mixed seeds (I tend to default on sunflower and pumpkin seeds)

– 1/3 cup of diced dried apricots

Substitute options: raisins, goji berries, chocolate chips are all options here too. I always use the apricots but you can choose to your taste. (I told the boys there sweets like jellys!)

-1/3 cup nut butter (i use peanut butter but any nut to your taste)

-1/3 cup of honey

– a thumb of fresh ginger

-1 cup (about 200g) of melted butter.

Top Tip – some desiccated coconut is a lovely addition if you don’t fancy the ginger or even pop it in as well as the ginger.

Method:

-Preheat the oven to 180oc

– Add the oats, seeds and apricots and mix through with the wooden spoon.

-Grate the ginger into the oat mix and mix through.

– Add honey and nut butter to the dry mix. Mix this through with your hands. Like your making breadcrumbs, just so is disperses evenly and every one gets a little taste of the nut butter and you don’t find a giant lump in one flapjack and none in the others.

-When the butter is measured put it in the microwave on a low heat for a short amount of time to melt it, but not heat it. Equally you could do this in a bowl over a pot of hot water in the stove but I’m trying to save washing up and time banging it in the microwave.

N.B. Feel free to substitute the butter for something healthier but be warned this measurement is to combine the dry ingredients so they set when baking and so you can actually then cut squares out. If the mix is too try it won’t combine, you’ll end up with a giant tray of granola and no flapjacks.

– Add the butter to your oat mix and stir it through as evenly as possible making sure you’ve no dry patches. Just like if you were making rice krispie buns and wanted every Krispy chocolatey.

– line a baking tray.

– Tip your mix on to the tray.

– Flatten and press the mix into tray and press it in firmly. Start at one side of the tray and work towards the middle. keep it all the same height so it cooks evenly.

-The mix is nice and firm and stiff normally so if it doesn’t fill your baking tray it shouldn’t be a problem as it should sit well to one side without support.

-Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 180oc keep and eye as you just want it nice and golden brown if your oven is too hot it may begin to burn at the edges.

-Remove the golden brown tray and leave in tray to cool down.

-I find if you can pick up the tray with your hands and the flapjacks are just warm to touch that’s cool enough.

-Take the lining and flapjack slab out in one movement on to a flat counter.

-Cut up in to portions. It will have natural cracking points i tend to go with them for cutting.

– Place in an air tight container for the week.

Bonus: Don’t forget all the crumbly goodness left behind on your baking paper gather up into and airtight container for delicious breakfast topping on yogurts or porridge!! You’ve now baked twice so are total kitchen godess, Mum of the year 😜!!

 

Side note: of your child’s school has a strict no nuts policy you can leave out the nut butter i would add in some more honey perhaps to make sure its not too dry.

Enjoy Dee x