The oats in Flapjacks give them a reputation for being a healthy snack and energy booster, particularly in cold weather, but the usual recipe contains lots of sugar, syrup and fat. This version replaces most of these calories with cooking apple pulp which bind the oats together into a very satisfying treat – and it’s a good use for all your spare cooking apples.
Preparation: 20 mins; Cook: 45 mins Ready in just over an hour.
Ingredients
400 g Bramley cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
200 ml cold water
2 cinnamon sticks (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
200 rolled oats
60 g brown sugar (more if you have a sweet tooth)
80 g raisins or sultanas
1 teaspoon baking powder
Method
- Put the cut apples into a pan with the water and cinnamon sticks (or ground cinnamon). Cook to a pulp over a moderate heat with a lid on the pan. This takes about 8-10 minutes. Leave to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C or Gas Mark 4. Grease or line a 20 x 28 cm baking tin, 5 cm deep.
- Mix the dry ingredients – oats, sugar, raisins, baking powder – in a large bowl. Take the cinnamon sticks (if used) out of the cooled apple pulp and add the apple pulp to the oat mix. Mix well.
- Spoon the full mix into the baking tin and smooth it out evenly, making sure that the raisins are pushed under the surface so they don’t burn while the flapjacks are cooking.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until nicely coloured and firm on the top.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, cut into slices and cool on a wire rack.