Fruity Flapjack Slice

I love it when a delicious recipe comes about when I am mulling over what to do with a particular ingredient or what to make for a particular occasion or to fill a need.  The pears in our fruit bowl seem to go from rock hard to over-ripe in a day at the moment.  It is most frustrating as I abhor food waste and we're getting a bit bored with muffins, crumbles and turnovers made with the over-ripe fruit from the fruit bowl.  I also needed a pick me up for my girls to eat on the way home from Holiday Club to make the walk much less whiny, along with a treat to have with a cuppa once we got home as a friend was popping in for a chat.

I came up with a this lightly spiced, fruit filled flapjack using my standard flapjack recipe that ticked all the boxes and was absolutely delicious!  You can vary the fruit according to what you have, likewise the spices.  I used pears, dates and ginger the first time I made this recipe but have since used apples, dried apricots and mixed spice which was equally delicious.  I also didn't have quite enough rolled oats the first time I made it so used some weetabix to make up the correct quantity of cereal.  It really is an easy and brilliantly versatile recipe that I'm sure will come in handy quite often these school holidays.

225g self-raising flour
225g rolled oats (I used 50g crushed weetabix and 175g rolled oats)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 - 2 tsp ground ginger or mixed spice
225g butter
225g caster sugar
2 Tblsp golden syrup
2 - 3 pears or apples peeled, cored and diced chopped
120g chopped dried dates or other dried fruit

Preheat your oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/Gas Mark 4. Line a 23cm (9 inch) square cake tin with non-stick baking paper.

Measure the flour, oats, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger in to a bowl and mix until well combined.

Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup into a saucepan and heat on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and everything is well combined. Don’t heat the mixture too vigorously or let it boil.

Take the saucepan off the heat and pour the melted ingredients into the flour and oat mixture, stirring well to make sure everything has been thoroughly combined.

Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface with the back of a spoon or spatula.

Sprinkle over the fresh and dried fruit then spread the remaining oat mixture on top.

Bake the slice in the oven for about 30 minutes until lovely and golden. Leave to cool in the tin and then cut into squares with a sharp knife.

2 comments Basics, Biscuits, Budgeting Tips, Snacks, Vegetarian