Five minute flapjacks

I have tried and tested a lot of flapjack recipes in my time and I eventually came up my own recipe as I could never find just the right combination of butter and oats anywhere else.The buttery, crumbly, sweetness  of these flapjacks are absolutely to die for and they keep for ages in a tin or sealed tupperware box and also make a very handy alternative to biscuits if you are having visitors around (fingers crossed that we will all be visiting each other again very soon).

What is even better is that they only take around five minutes to prepare and then 20 minutes to cook. They are very versatile as you can really make them your own  by adding extra ingredients such as raisins or chocolate chips and they are also a lot of fun to make with children. If that wasn't enough good news, you can also make a gluten free option.

Here is what you need.

Ingredients

300g of butter 

1 generous tablespoon of golden syrup

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

225g of caster sugar

450g of rolled oats 

If you want to make the gluten free option then you can use gluten free oats from a health food shop or Lidl ot Aldi. They may have them in other supermarket chains but I just haven't seen them. Oats themselves are naturally gluten free but are often grown next to fields with wheat and barley so can be contaminated quite easily. If you are coeliac or gluten intolerant look at the packaging carefully to make sure that you are using the correct oats for you.

Method

1. You will need a  shallow swiss roll tin which is roughly around 9 inches by 13 inches. Line your tin with baking parchment using a little butter underneath the parchment to make it stick.

2. Next melt the butter, golden syrup and vanilla together in a big saucepan on a low heat ( excuse my ancient battered saucepan that lost it's non stick qualities years ago. I use it for everything sweet and I just love it).

3. When your butter has fully melted stir in your sugar.

4. Next stir in your oats making sure they are all fully covered with the butter.

TIP - if you want to add another ingredient like desiccated coconut or raisins then now is the time to add it but if you want to add chocolate chips then wait until the mixture has cooled fully and then stir them in.

5. Spread your mixture on to the pan that you prepared earlier and make sure you spread your oats right into the edges and really compress your oats down. I actually use a rolling pin to do this but the flat end of a big spoon will do just as well.Then wipe the stray oats from the edges or they will burn and the smoke from them in the oven can affect the entire flavour of your flapjacks.

6. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees or 160 degrees if you have a fan over and place on the middle shelf for approximately 20 mins.

TIP After 12 minutes I open my oven and quickly turn the tray 180 degrees so it is facing the opposite way. This helps the flapjacks to bake more evenly.

After 20 minutes they should be a lovely golden brown. If they are still pale leave them in for another couple of minutes but keep checking on them as the edges will catch and burn very quickly.

7. As soon as you remove the  flapjacks cut them immediately while they are still soft. I always cut mine into 24 squares. Let them cool completely in the pan and they will harden as they cool.

8. Finally remove them from the pan when they are completely cold, put on the kettle and enjoy!