Healthy in a Hurry- The Humble Flapjack

Flapjacks are so easy to make with relatively few ingredients. They are a great healthy, energy boosting snack, ideal for a quick pick-me-up, sugar craving or even breakfast when you are in a hurry! Though they do contain sugar, if you make them yourself, you control how much goes in and any other ingredients added. Flapjacks are the number one snack of choice in our house so I make them a lot, with loads of different variations. As there are five of us, they don’t last long, so when I make them I do a bumper batch! 30 might seem a lot, but if we have one each, per day, thats only 6 days worth and these will keep in an air-tight container for around two weeks.

This basic recipe takes minutes to prepare, is a great kids activity and can be made *gluten and dairy free:

Ingredients for around 30, 6x4cm bars:

• 6 heaped tbsp golden syrup
• 150g soft brown sugar
• 300g unsalted butter or dairy free alternative (we use ‘Pure’ with great results)
• 500g porridge oats (*gluten free if needed)
• 100g extra ingredient or mix of seeds, nuts, dried fruit, chic chips (see below for some great combinations)

*Oats are naturally gluten free but are often processed in factories where they can be contaminated by other products containing gluten. The degree of your intolerance will dictate if you need to purchase gluten free oats or if your body can tolerate tiny amounts.

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Line a 30-40cm baking tray with grease proof paper- this is really important, just greasing the tray will not work! Believe me, I’ve learned the hard way!!
• Place the syrup, sugar and butter in a pan and heat gently until melted

• Add the oats and any extra ingredients and stir until everything is coated

• Tip the flapjack mixture into the lined baking tray and press firmly down with the back of a metal spoon
• Make sure the mixture is spread evenly and has been pressed firmly to ensure finished bars hold together
• Bake for 25 minutes until golden and coming away from the sides at the edges

 ⇒ 

• For a crispier finish, continue to bake for a further 5-8 minutes but keep an eye on them to ensure they don’t burn
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes (no longer)
• Place a large chopping board on top of the tray and flip the flapjack out onto it
• Gently peel off the grease proof paper and chop into bars while they are still warm

Fab Flapjack Flavour Combinations:

• Multi-seed- mix of pumpkin, sunflower, chia, sesame & pine nuts
• Hazelnut (chopped) and sultana
• Desiccated coconut and cranberry
• Dried apricot (chopped) and almond (chopped or flakes)
• Dried fig (chopped) and walnut (chopped)
• Brazil nut (chopped) and dark choc-chips
• White choc-chips and dried cranberries
• Double coconut- use desiccated and flakes
• Toasted almond flakes and milk choc-chips

Make Flapjacks a High Protein Addition to Breakfast or Snack

Countries all around the world eat meat for breakfast. Meat is, of course, one of our largest sources of protein, and in the UK and USA, we don’t eat enough of it at the right time of day. The time our body most needs protein, is in the morning, when we are busy shovelling sugary carbohydrates, quickly into our bodies, instead of ham and cheese like our continental friends across the channel! A cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs could be the answer some days, but with time being precious in the morning and with so many of us being unable to face that type of breakfast so early in the day, for the majority, that’s just not practical. By adding two scoops of hemp protein powder (plant protein) to a seed or nutty flapjack mixture before baking, you can make a high protein breakfast bar or the perfect post-work out snack. I’ve posted other ideas for quick, healthy breakfasts, if you’d like some more ideas!

Flapjacks do take a bit of preparation time but are quicker than cakes and far more nutritious and healthy. The kids love helping to make them and they are allowed to lick the bowl as the mix doesn’t contain raw egg- definitely a winner!! What do you think, worth a go?

Enjoy xx