While prepping for this post, the memories of my previous flapjack post, a year back, came rushing back and a particular one was certainly not a pleasant one. And I can’t help sharing it with you. I have so often heard "Imitation is the best form of flattery" but I was flattered by no means when I saw my Banana &Strawberry Flapjack recipe passed off by a fellow blogger as her recipe!! Not only had she flicked off my recipe, which I had heavily tweaked and given my own twist, even the quantity of ingredients were exactly the same. I was shocked by her blatant use of a fellow blogger's recipe without displaying the courtesy or care to mention the source or giving credit. The feeling of shock was followed by a feeling of disappointment and helplessness. It took me a while to get over the incident then.
Anyway, a years later, here I am with another flapjack post; chocolate and nuts this time. I made these flapjacks especially on the demand of my chocoholic daughter who complained to me then that she did not want just a healthy snack (read flapjack) but one in which she could also enjoy her favorite ingredient – loads of chocolate! I had bought Brazilian nuts a few weeks back and day before I realised that they were inching towards the date of expiry and when my daughter asked me to bake her favorite chocolate flapjacks, I knew where I could put them to good yummy use.After I had made her booze-free batch I made these with rum. Unlike my the previous chewy strawberry and banana flapjacks, these ones are punchy crunchy!
Grab the recipe and enjoy!2 tbsp golden syrup (home made)120 gm butter (home made)2-3 tbsp caster sugar3 cups rolled oats¾cup desiccated coconut1 heaped tsp flax seeds (slightly toasted)50 gm Brazilian nuts or Almonds (slightly toasted)100 gm dark chocolate (chopped into chunks)1½ –2 tbsp rum
Line the base of an 8 inch pan with parchment paper and let the paper come up the sides as well. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C for at least 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, desiccated coconut, flax seeds and nuts.In a pan, on gentle heat, melt together the butter, golden syrup and sugar. When the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from heat. Cool it slightly and add rum. Stir and add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones mixing well to ensure that the oats mix is well coated. (At this point the mix may appear dry even though each oat is well coated but it will all come together post baking)Add chocolate and give a good stir so that chocolate chunks are spread across the mixture. Tip the contents in to the prepared tin and press them with the back of a spoon or spatula so that they are tightly packed in the tin. Bake for 30 minutes approx. Remove from the oven and let the contents cool in the tin before removing. Cut the flapjacks using a serrated knife to the size of your choice (squares or rectangles)
Note: Since rolled oats are not easily available in India, you can substitute them with granola or muesli (use a good quality one)
Note: For some indulgence drizzle the flapjacks with nutella or chocolate sauce.Note: For chewier bars keep the layer of oats thicker and for crispier ones, use a thinner layer (you need to adjust the baking time accordingly).
Note: Using an 8 inch pan will yield slightly thicker flapjacks, while using a 9 inch pan will make them thinner but much crispier. (I like them somewhere in-between hence I used an 8 inch pan)Yields – 10- to 12 piecesThanks for visiting and see you again! IT IS ALWAYS ENCOURAGING TO HEAR FROM FRIENDS AND READERS. I CAN ALSO BE REACHED AT: [email protected]
