First off, my apologies for spamming you with blank emails the last two times my name appeared in your inbox. I made the all-too-human mistake of using Substack features I didn’t fully understand. The post from 14/11* on crispy smashed potatoes has now been updated. As for the lemon coconut flapjacks that were advertised last week, here’s another go at sharing that one.
*11/14 for any American readers
Flapjacks; a term I had never heard prior to moving to this country. An oat-based sweet treat, they are spoken of lovingly by most British and Irish people I know. My husband recalls his mum delivering trays of flapjacks to him at boarding school, which he then stashed under his bed as ‘tuck’ to avoid having to share them. I first thought they were this island’s version of granola bars but they are in fact not the same, though at first glance the ingredient list looks similar.
Flapjacks are baked oat bars that veer much further into dessert territory than your average granola bar. Where granola bars are usually held together with some form of oil and sugar, flapjacks are brimming with enough butter and sugar to rival most cookie or brownie recipes. They are, however, considerably easier to make.
Recipes and variations for flapjacks are plentiful, from versions with no added flavour to chocolate-dipped caramel ones. I like to keep them fruity, but I find incorporating dried fruit such as raisin or apricots often poses a structural challenge. My version, with desiccated coconut and lemon zest, has plenty of fruity flavour without the risk of them falling apart. Be careful not to bake them for too long or they’ll become brittle.
My kids love these as an afternoon treat or dessert, but the flavour is suited to mature palates as well; these go particularly well alongside a cup of milky earl grey on a cold afternoon.
Ingredients:
500 grams (3 ¼ cups) oats
250 grams (2 ¾ cups) desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
250 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter
200 grams (1 cup) light brown sugar
120 grams (⅓ cup) honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 lemon
Method
Preheat the oven to 140°C (280°F). Line a half baking sheet with baking parchment.
Combine oats, coconut, lemon zest and salt in a large bowl. Stir until evenly distributed.
Melt butter, sugar and honey together over low heat. Once butter is fully melted, turn off heat. Stir in vanilla.
Pour butter mixture into oat mix. Mix until combined.
Divide mix equally between parchment-lined baking trays. Use a spatula to push into corners of the tray and smooth the surface.
Place in a preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Swap racks halfway through to avoid browning.
Allow to cool completely before slicing.
This recipe makes a lot - I usually wind up with ~30 flapjacks depending how big I cut them. They will keep well in a sealed container, or wrapped up in the baking parchment and then wrapped in foil for up to 3 days.
