Superjack

The weekend plan was for the boys to go mountain biking which they did. Mr VST needed to keep his energy up and so I made some superjack to keep him going. 

 I made plenty in fact so that the girls would have some to eat too.

I used demerara sugar this time as my original recipe suggests. I didn't manage to dissolve it all properly as there were crunchy sugary bits in the flapjack. 

I chopped up some dark chocolate and mixed it in at the last minute before popping it all in the oven.

Great energy food this and very tasty indeed.

Wedding Bash

I was lucky enough to be invited to a work colleague's wedding bash last night. It was in a marquee overlooking the beautiful Devon countryside. It was a lovely evening, if a tad cold, and the bride and groom were very happy indeed, which was the most important thing of course! I had been forewarned that the evening food was being organised by the local branch of the Women's Institute and made sure I had plenty of room to accommodate their offerings. I was SO right to do that, the food was amazing. There was a hog roast, which of course I avoided, but instead extensively tested the salads, rice, pasta, Waldorf and quiches, tomato, mushroom and of course the sweets too. I had a few scones with clotted cream and home made gooseberry jam (my mouth is watering just typing this!) and mixed berry jam, flapjack and a delicious sultana cake. It was a lovely way to spend the evening.

Grown up Superjack: Flapjack with Dark Chocolate, Raisins and Nuts

I made some flapjack on Thursday to take down to some very good friends of ours who have just had a baby. I thought that flapjack was a tasty, remotely healthy (if you forget all the butter, sugar and golden syrup!) snack that provides plenty of energy for new parents. 

I didn't have the milk and white chocolate to make my usual superjack but I did have some dark chocolate instead. I chopped it up into little chunks, realising that it would probably melt but it really worked. It has made a great slightly more grown up flap jack. I love it when you make a random and great tasting new discovery! 

Superjack

Mr VST has been off mountain-biking this weekend so I thought I'd make him some high energy snacks to take with him. This super-flap-jack I am naming Superjack for short has the usual oats, golden syrup, sugar and butter but is also packed full of raisins and nuts and topped with melted chocolate.

For a normal amount (i.e. half of what is shown in the photo) you will need:

150g butter
75g golden syrup
75g sugar (light soft brown or demerara)
250g oats
100g mixed nuts
60g raisins/sultanas (this is a guesstimate I'm afraid as I didn't measure)
50g white chocolate
50g milk chocolate

1. Put butter, golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan and heat until liquid and all the sugar has dissolved.
2. Line a baking tin with greaseproof paper.
3. Mix the oats, nuts and raisins into the liquid (having taken it off the heat).
4. Put the mixture into the baking tin and squash it down with the back of a spoon and then bake at 175°C/gas mark 4 for 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Cut into pieces while still hot and leave to cool.
6. Melt white chocolate over a bain-marie (bowl of hot water), spoon over cool flapjack and then do the same with the milk chocolate and voila - superjack!