Cruising the blog world, I noticed that Rosie at Rosie Bakes a Piece of Cake and Maria of The Goddess's Kitchen had teamed up to create
Sweet and Simple Bakes
The whole concept behind the birth of Sweet and Simple Bakes is to provide a monthly forum for tried and true baking recipes and to create a learning environment for novice bakers and a fun place for the more seasoned bakers. Ok - this is what I need.
The first roundup is to replicate Cranberry and White Chocolate Flapjacks. I watched the discussion going back and forth across the pond - how are we defining flapjacks? what are they in the U.K. vs. what they are in North America. The good hearted fun back and forth is hysterical - are they granola bars, are they pancakes. No matter what, they're a tried and true so let's just do it and find out what they really are.
I had a lot of learning in this very easy recipe. Here's what I learned.
1. I don't read very well. Doh!!! Rosie and Maria went to great effort to make sure conversions for metric and imperial were clearly on the site. Did I look? Of course not...I decided I would just...well...guesstimate to the best of my knowledge.
2. Don't guess - when baking and in doubt - make absolutely certain you know what you're doing.
3. I won't make the same mistake twice.
Ingredients
250g butter
100g demerara sugar
200g golden syrup
250g rolled oats
75g plain flour
100g dried cranberries( other dried fruits can also be used, bluberries, apricots, etc)
100g white chocolate, chopped(dark or milk chocolate can be used)
Method
Preheat the oven to 170C/ Gas 3. Line a 23cm square tin with baking paper (please do not use greaseproof).
Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a large pan over a low heat (stirring occasionally), until the butter and sugar have completely melted.
Add the rolled oats, flour and cranberries to the pan, and stir together well. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared tin.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown.
So...so far not looking to bad - I figured okay, I think this worked out quite well.
Leave to cool for a few minutes, then mark into 12 squares – but don’t cut all the way through. Allow to cool in the tin completely.Melt the white chocolate and drizzle over each bar.(When melting chocolate you use a heatproof bowl over a low simmering saucepan of hot water but making sure the water is not hitting the bottom of the bowl.)
They even looked somewhat like the picture Rosie put up.
The verdict:
The taste was very good. This is definitely not a pancake so let's put that one to bed right away.
I miscalculated on the conversions so I fouund they didn't stay together well. There's nothing like a mini-disaster to create learning.
I would make these again.
21 comments:
Well done with your flapjacks, it's funny how the same word means something so different across the water!
Congratulations and well done on your flapjacks, they look so scrummy!!
I have to agree with K.J. how funny the same word means something different across the pond!
Many thanks for partaking in this month's bake at Sweet & Simple Bakes and I do hope you will be able to join us in our next bake :)
Happy Baking - Rosie x
Hmmm. Have to disagree - you're bakers, all right. Your flapjacks look pretty yummy to me :)
Your flapjacks turned out great and very yummy!
Thanks for taking part and hoping you will take part in our next challenge ;o)
Maria
x
They sound intriguing...I'm learning these flapjacks are bars for many people and not pancakes.
Hooray for flapjacks!
I wanted pancakes, though. Oh well. These look yummy!
Even though I have been over to Rosie's I was still expecting pancakes. How soon we forget...maybe it is just mental-pause:D
I think I messed up a little on the conversions also and made my oven a little too hot. Yours look ver nice!
White chocolate and cranberry flapjacks sound really good!
I'm not a baker either, but I can always manage to pull it together for some pancakes!
Love your blog, especially love that it's a family affair and you're all in it together. The flapjacks look delicious!
They look gorgeous...and I LOVE that photo at the start with the butter and brown sugar! Until I went to England I never knew that flapjacks were oaty bars...
Your flapjacks look yummy and I must agree with you that I will make these again. I believe they will cut better after refrigeration.
Flapjacks make me smile because of their name :) just don't ask why! I know all about the guessing part but you know what? When you feel that it's not coming together as you imagined it and you start adding other ingredients you might be inventing something delish. That's why I believe the guessing has its good parts too :)
Now please tell me there are some flapjacks left for me :D
i was totally baffled when rosie and maria posted the name and picture of the recipe to be made--where was the maple syrup? i figured it out though (after some wikipedia research) and it turns out they're ever better than pancakes because they've got white chocolate! (hmm...white chocolate in pancakes...i need to look into that.)
i've no doubt that ya'lls baking skills are coming along nicely. this is proof of that!
These look great - and cranberry and white chocolate is a killer combo! You'd never know that they caused you any problems.
They sound yummy. One of the first things I added to my blog, was a conversion chart, at the request of an overseas friend :) I have found it comes in handy when I myself discover recipes that I want to try.
Cranberries and chocolate sound like a good meet.
it's funny - i too grew up thinking flapjacks were pancakes - I guess its the British influence in India! Strange! :)
I had to pretty much guess the measurements too! :-) (guess i'm not very good at the research part!)
They look absolutely perfect to me! You're right--it is funny how words can have such different meanings. Flapjacks to me are a stack of pancakes. These look delicious!
This looks delicious! I'm not a baker either, so I totally love the idea of tried and true baked goods. Great post!
I'm annoyed I didn't get to take part in this event, I really wanted to make the flapjacks.... well I'm being silly cos there's nothing to stop me from making them now anyways right? lol
I never knew there was debate over what a flapjack was on either side of the Atlantic. You did a great job with these, they look great.
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