Homemade cakes and desserts can be challenging and complicated, but flapjacks are an easy alternative. The oat bars are bonded with golden syrup and melted butter, and . These added extras are what most people would consider a good way to transform plain flapjacks, but chef Cate Dixson says otherwise.
Sharing her recipe with Sainsbury's, the chef notes that the secret to a "perfect texture" is in the oats. While it has something to do with how you cook them, Cate's tip is to use not one but two kinds of oats in your .
She said: "Using two types of oats gives the perfect texture, neither too cakey nor too crumbly."
Flavouring the bars is just as easy; "adding a little cinnamon brings a subtle warmth to these chewy flapjacks", notes Cate.
Her recipe calls for just six ingredients, including porridge oats and rolled oats. Choosing gluten-free oats makes the bars easy to make gluten-free.
Oats are a great source of fibre, particularly beta-glucan, a type of soluble fibre that can lower cholesterol and promote overall health.
According to , oats form a gel-like substance in the gut that helps bind to cholesterol-rich bile acids, reducing the amount of cholesterol absorbed into the bloodstream. Oats are also a good source of protein and contain essential vitamins and minerals.
Flapjacks recipe
Ingredients
300g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
150g light brown soft sugar
120g golden syrup
One tsp ground cinnamon
250g jumbo rolled oats - use gluten-free if required
200g porridge oats - use gluten-free if required
Start by setting the oven temperature to 160C, fan 140C, gas 3. Next, grease a 20cm x 30cm x 5cm deep baking tray with butter and line with baking paper.
For the mixture, melt the butter in a pan with the sugar, syrup, ground cinnamon and a pinch of fine sea salt. Take care not to burn it and stir regularly.
Bring to a rolling boil, then remove from the heat and add both types of oats to the pan. Stir the oats through to ensure they are completely coated in the syrup and butter mixture.
Pour the prepared mixture into the baking tray and smooth into the corners with the back of a spoon.
Bake the flapjacks in the oven for 25 minutes until golden and only just set. When the flapjacks are still hot from the oven, roughly cut them into 16 thin bars or fingers.
Allow the flapjacks to cool fully in the tin until they are set. Then, transfer the flapjacks to a cutting board, remove the baking paper, and cut the flapjacks again with a sharp knife, following the original cut lines.
Serve fresh or store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
