oats

Plum and almond flapjack

13 Comments / biscuits /

plum and almond flapjack

This is a lovely way to use up those plums that you bought in the hope that they would be chin drippingly delicious but turn out to be tooth breakingly hard. It’s a sweet treat so you probably shouldn’t eat it all in one sitting…

100g (4oz) butter
100g (4oz) demerara sugar
1 generous tablespoon of golden syrup
150g (6oz) rolled oats
50g (2oz) flaked almonds
3-4 plums, stoned and sliced

Lightly grease a round pie dish or cake tin, mine measures 23cm but you could use one that measures 20cm and have a deeper flapjack.

Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a medium-sized pan over a medium heat. Take off the heat and add the oats and the flaked almonds. Stir well to combine. Spread three-quarters of the mixture in the bottom of the pie dish. Lay the plums over this in a single layer. Spoon the remaining oat mixture over, leaving some of the plums exposed. Press the mixture down well with the back of a spoon.

Place in a preheated oven at 180°c, gas mark 4 or the centre of the baking oven of the Aga for 20-25 minutes until golden. Mark it into sections as soon as you take it out of the oven otherwise it is difficult to slice when cold. Leave to go completely cold before removing it from the dish.

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Flapjacks

11 Comments / biscuits /

I have several recipes for flapjacks, when I am feeling fruity I make the ones I posted back in September 2009, if I want something unadulterated I make these.  They are sweet little beasties, so you can’t call them health food, but they hit the spot if you are looking for a good flapjack.  A bit chewy, a bit soft, oaty and sweet.  They are good for picnics and bike rides.

You can use 150g of demerara sugar or of granulated instead of half each.  I just like the crunchy texture of the demerara in my flapjacks and I like the way the granulated melts into the butter.

Makes about 15 squares

150g (6oz) butter
75g (3oz) golden granulated sugar
75g (3oz) demerara sugar
3 tbsp golden syrup
300g (12 oz) oats

Method

Place the butter, sugar and syrup in a large pan and place over a gentle heat until the butter has melted.  Mix well together and then stir in the oats.

Butter a 30cm x 20 cm dish and then pour in the mixture.  Press down well with the back of a metal spoon.

Place in the centre of a preheated oven at 180°c, gas mark 4 or in the Baking Oven of the Aga for 20-25 minutes until golden brown all over.  Whilst the mixture is still warm run a knife around the edge of the dish and cut the flapjack into squares. Leave to cool completely in the tim before removing.

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Granola

8 Comments / breakfast, The Ordinary Cook /

I still have some Total Yoghurt!  Well, they did give me a lot.  I have been meaning to make granola for ages.  Mr OC eats a lot of muesli and I have a sweet tooth so this is something that pleases both of us.

Before I made it I did a Google search to find different recipes that I could adapt to suit us and I was really pleased to see that Margaret’s post on her lovely blog Kitchen Delights came near the top.  My recipe is very similar to the one that Margaret uses, (if it meet’s Margaret’s expectations then who am I to argue?) just with a tweaking of added extras and a little less maple syrup.

It didn’t really clump together,maybe more maple syrup would have helped (so perhaps I should call it toasted,sweetened muesli instead?) but it tastes really good.  It is very good sprinkled over yoghurt or with milk.  It’s also lovely to dip your hand into when passing. The only problem I have with it is that I keep eating it.

300g porridge oats
100g pecan nuts
100g cashews
50g pumpkin seeds
50g pine kernels
20g macadamia
50 g dessicated coconut
40g dried cranberries
40g dried blueberries
40g dried cherries
100ml maple syrup
2 tbsp groundnut oil
2 tbsp local honey

Method

Spread the oats, nuts and seeds onto a baking sheet.  In a jug mix together the maple syrup, honey and oil.  Drizzle this over the oat mixture and stir.

Place the baking tray in the  centre of a preheated oven at 180°c and set the timer for five minutes.  It will take the mixture about 20 minutes in total to cook but you do need to stir it every five minutes because the mixture will cook quicker at the edges. When you have fetched it out and stirred it two or three times (about 15 minutes into the cooking) and it is beginning to colour add the desiccated coconut to the mix and stir to combine.  Cook for a further five minutes. When it looks and smells lovely and toasted take it out of the oven and leave to cool.  Add the berries and mix well.

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