FLAP JACKS

Having just got back from a few days away I thought I would ‘fill the tins’ for the weekend ... My Granny taught me this wonderful expression.

Every time she arrived for the weekend we would spend a good ten minutes or so unpacking the car. It was not clothes we were unpacking but food.

She never quite believed that rationing was over, so always bought the luxuries with her where ever she went ... Even in the late eighties she would still tip parking attendants with a box of eggs when she came up to London.

Every item she bought was carefully wrapped in three or four plastic bags which were secured with rubber bands ... there were eggs, cream, butter, and lots of tins filled with goodies ... her meringues were to this day the best I have ever tasted. They were amazing; crispy on the outside and wonderfully perfectly chewy on the inside. I would love to have her recipe, which, very sadly died with her.

With Granny in mind I have filled the tins today, not with her wonderful meringues but with another favourite of mine, Flap Jacks ...

FLAP JACKS - Makes 16 or 32 Small bite size ones

Ingredients

250g Butter, 150g Golden syrup, 150g Dark Demerara Sugar, 100g Sunflower seeds, 250g Oats

Cake Tins

2 x 2lb loaf tins, 2 x 2lb loaf tin liners

Heat the oven to 170
Place one 2lb loaf tin liner in each of the 2lb loaf tins
Melt the butter, syrup and sugar in a saucepan
Once the sugar has dissolved mix in the sunflower seeds and oats
Divide the mixture between the two cake tins, pressing the mixture down firmly into the tins
Place in the oven for 18-20 minutes until golden
Remove the flapjacks from the oven and leave to cool for a minute. After a minute, leaving the flapjacks in the tin, cut lines through the flapjacks. I cut each tin of flap jacks into eight strips so I am left with 16 Flap Jacks from two tins. If you want smaller ones divide the strips again into 32 smaller squares.
Allow the flap jacks to cool for 30 minutes and then place them, still in the tin, in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Remove from the fridge, take them out of the loaf tin and divide them up. (I take them out of the fridge and store them in a tin, if you prefer them very cold and crunchy keep them in the fridge)
Serve with a cup of tea ...

Cooking notes

I use my loaf tins with the liners that I use for my Banana Cake recipe as I find it makes this a much easier and a little quicker as you don’t spend time greasing and lining a tray. If you don’t have loaf tins and liners then use a lined cake tin that is roughly 20cm x 22cm

I cut the flap jacks when they are hot as I find it easier and I find they look a lot neater once cooled.

You can get loaf tin liners at any good cake shop.

Adapting

You can replace the sunflower seeds with other nuts or seeds.