Fig and Walnut Flapjacks with an Orange Zing
This is a family favourite and wonderful for days spent cooking with the kids. So important to invest time in encouraging kids to cook, to blend and to play with flavours in order to keep them interested in food and comfortable in the kitchen. Be fine with flour, sure with sugar and balanced with butter. Kids, unless they have allergies or intolerances, don't need to hear about restrictions, for example gluten free, dairy free, sugar free.... Keep 'diet' talk away from their tiny ears so a healthy relationship with food can be made from an early age.
Parents often ask me for ideas on what to put in lunch boxes – this works well for kids and adults alike.
Ingredients:
1 large orange
50g raisins
2 fresh figs cut into cubes
4 tablespoons Golden Syrup
200g salted butter
60g Muscovado sugar
30g linseeds
250g jumbo oats
90g plain flour
70g walnuts – smashed into small pieces
Need – Baking tin (23cm Square is best), baking parchment, larger size grater, 2 saucepans, citrus juicer, wooden spoon, mixing bowl
How to:
1. Preheat oven to 160C/Gas Mark 3. Grease baking tin and line with parchment
2. Grate zest from orange before juicing. Set aside.
3. Squeeze juice from orange and add to first pan. Put raisins in pan and bring to a boil then turn off the heat. Cover pan and leave for raisins to plump up whilst you move to part 4.
4. In the second pan, measure 4 spoons of golden syrup. Add butter, brown sugar and orange zest. Heat gently until butter has completely melted. Turn off heat.
5. In a large bowl combine the oats, flour, linseed and walnuts. Mix well. Stir in butter mixture and raisins plus the chopped figs. Stir all the ingredients well so oats are fully coated with the gooey mixture – we love this bit as the golden syrup, butter and oats merge into sticky loveliness.
6. Spread mixture into the lined tin. Press flat. Place tin in oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
7. When removing the tin, the flapjack can be lifted out of the tin using the parchment. Leave to cool for a minimum of 15 minutes before cutting. Cut into 16 chunks. Works well served with strawberries, walnuts and fresh figs. Try your first one when still slightly warm.
Inspired by a recipe by Nicola Greenway in The River Cottage Family Cookbook