My mother-in-law Joan used to make these flapjacks. It’s amazing how quickly a tray of them can disappear. Fresh apricots are in the shops now, and British growers have had a record-breaking crop this year. You can also grow your own fruit. There’s several new varieties for growing in small spaces, such as Compacta. Moorpark is traditionally grown, but there’s a newer apricot, USA-bred Goldcot recommended for flavour and hardiness. Tomcot produces large apricots, and there’s also New Large Early and Isabelle. Golden Glow is a delicious apricot variety, discovered in the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire.
FLAPJACK
Ingredients
400g fresh apricots. Other fruits can be used such as peaches/ plums/ raspberries/ strawberries. Roughly chopped. I didn’t have quite enough fresh apricots, so added 5 dried apricots to my mixture.
2 tablespoon lemon juice
130g light brown soft sugar
230g butter or margarine (use soya for vegan recipe)
100g golden syrup
100g blanched almonds
350g rolled porridge oats
Three quarter teaspoon of cinnamon
Half teaspoon of salt
20cm baking tray, lined with parchment
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 200C gas mark 6.
Place the apricots, lemon juice and 30g of the sugar in a saucepan and simmer gently until cooked. Stir occasionally. It will form a thick purée. Almost like jam.
Place the remaining sugar, butter or margarine and golden syrup in a saucepan and melt together on gentle heat.
Mix all the dry ingredients together and pour in the melted liquid ingredients. Mix together until all the oats are coated.
Place half of the mixture in the baking tray and level. Cover with a layer of the fruit purée. Top the fruit with spoonfuls of the oat mixture. Carefully level the topping, using a pallet knife or silicone spatula.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the topping is brown. Check after 15 minutes and cover with parchment if it is turning too brown.
Cool completely and cut into fingers.
Can be kept for 3 days in a tin.
Enjoy! 🙂
I topped my flapjack with nasturtium flowers, which are edible. Take care when using flowers to decorate food to check that they are edible and haven’t been sprayed with any chemicals.
Links: Apricot trees : https://www.chrisbowers.co.uk/category/apricots/
Nasturtium Tip Top Apricot : https://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/item_1261g_tropaeolum_majus_tip_top_apricot_seeds