Flapjack

According to Wikipedia, “Flapjack is a name for two different sweet foods. In the UK and Australia, it refers to a tray-baked biscuit, and in Canada, the United States, and South Africa, it refers to a form of pancake.”  This may explain why, when we offered some to our friend Denise last night, she was a little bemused.  It also explains why, when I needed to concoct some for my British-raised husband this week (hankering after a taste of home) I needed to go to a BBC recipe website.

Not having grown up in the UK, I don’t really have the childhood association with Flapjack that Akira has… and so it was not really in my baking repertoire.  But, since it turns out to have precious few ingredients, and appeared relatively easy to create, I was prepared to give it a go.

It is really quite Autumnal out now, and so the thought of wonderful wintery pies came upon me at the supermarket this week… especially the ubiquitous North American Pumpkin Pie… so I purchased a pie plate with this in mind. It seemed to be the perfect thing in which to make this small batch of Flapjack.  Sure, there were lots of little irregular pieces when I cut it up, but it crosses the Flapjack boundaries and has the appearance of a large, sticky, oaty pancake!

I’m not altogether sure that this is the perfect Flapjack recipe… the ones I ate in the UK were largely commercial, or baked in the big kitchen at the boarding school where I worked.  They seemed a little more cakey, this was quite sticky – maybe a bit much honey (I did have trouble measuring it, on reflection). So I will keep trying… but this is what the BBC recommended:

Flapjack

100g/3½oz unsalted butter, melted
50g/1¾oz caster sugar
50ml/2fl oz clear honey, plus extra for drizzling
200g/7oz oats

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.  Line a baking sheet with greasproof paper.
Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together.
Spoon the flapjack mixture onto the greaseproofed baking sheet, and place into the oven to cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the flapjacks and transfer into the freezer for five minutes to set and firm.
Once the flapjacks are set, remove from the freezer and cut into chunks.
To serve, place onto a serving plate and drizzle over with honey.

I didn’t bother with the extra honey by this stage as it was sticky enough – here is a slice waiting for Akira to come home:

He gobbled most of it up by bedtime, and took a few remaining slices into the office today.  So, a nostalgic-food success.