Often recipes claim that flapjacks are a healthy snack. This is a tad misleading. While they are packed with healthy oats, they are also a haven for vast quantities of butter and sugar. They have their place though. Their portability makes them a great snack to take on a day out walking or in the lunch box. They are packed with instant (sugar) and slow release (oats) energy, but are satisfying enough to be enjoyed at home with a cup of tea.

In an effort to keep up the pretence of health, I have added in some fruit, nuts and seeds. The useful thing about flapjack is that it incredibly easy to customise. You can add in pretty much any type of fruit, nut or seed, drizzle with frosting, spice it up with a little cinnamon… the possibilities are endless.

Most people like to use the rolled oats, but I find the best texture and stability of structure is obtained with a mixture of both rolled, and the chopped quick cook variety.

Fruit and Nut Flapjack

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Ingredients

• 300g Unsalted Butter
• 75g Light Brown Sugar
• 150gg Golden Syrup (or 90ml)
• 550g Rolled Oats
• 100g Dried Fruit (eg raisins, chopped dates, cranberries)
• 75g Chopped Nuts (eg pecans, walnuts, hazlenuts)
• 50g Seeds (eg pumpkin, sesame, flax, linseed)

Directions

1.	Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4
2.	In a saucepan, melt together the butter, sugar and syrup
3.	Pour over the oats, fruit and seeds and stir well. Press into a 9" x 9" tin
4.	Bake for 25-30 minutes, or 10 minutes longer if you prefer crunchy flapjack rather than chewy
5.	While its still warm, cut into squares, and leave in the tin to completely cool. Store in an air-tight container for a couple of weeks, or these freeze well for up to two months