A few years ago I posted an early, work-in-progress version of this Bakewell Flapjack recipe. Having refined the process over the years I thought it was time to post this revised version online. Unfortunately I don’t have new photos to accompany it but it’s easy enough to follow.
The quantities mentioned below produce a big batch of flapjacks (approximately 16 portions) and is best made in a Pyrex oven dish measuring approximately 30cm x 20cm x 5cm. You could also use a casserole dish but avoid anything metal as they tend to suffer with hotspots, which can cause uneven baking.
I recommend using a thick-bottomed pan to melt the butter and syrup, that is big enough to hold all the ingredients (wet and dry). But if you don’t have one available, you can use a small pan just big enough for the butter and syrup and use a larger bowl to mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Up to you, I just prefer to keep the wet mixture in the pan so that only one receptacle is sticky with butter and syrup, not two!
Ingredients
- 350g of unsalted butter
- 250g of golden syrup
- 1 tbsp of almond extract
- 400g oats
- 120g plain flour
- 150g ground almonds
- 100g flaked almonds
- 200g strawberry jam (approximately)
Method
- First melt 350g of unsalted butter in a large pan on a low heat. Use some of this melted butter to grease the oven dish.
- Next add 250g of golden syrup and 1 tbsp of almond extract to the large pan and turn off hob once all melted and mixed together.
- Combine and mix all the following dry ingredients in a separate large bowl.
- 400g oats
- 120g plain flour
- 150g ground almonds
- 100g flaked almonds
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet (or vice versa if your bowl is big enough; see above) and mix thoroughly.
- Spoon just less than half of the mixture into the dish and press down firmly with the back of a spoon to create a smooth, compacted layer of flapjack. You always seem to need more for the top layer than the bottom so be careful not to use too much at this stage.
- Spread half a jar of strawberry jam (approximately 200g, or more if you please) over the flapjack foundation, distributing it as evenly as possible.
- Now place the remaining flapjack mix on top of the jam layer and press down as best you can, trying not to let the jam seep through to the top.
- Bake in the oven at around 150°C for 40 minutes or so, until golden brown on top.
- Leave to cool for at least 20 minutes so that it doesn’t just crumble into pieces when extracting.
- Enjoy!