Tag: flapjack

Vegan date and chocolate flapjacks

In all truthfulness, this is not the recipe which I hoped to share today.

I’ve been thinking for a while about doing a vegan recipe. I had a can of pumpkin puree in the cupboard which I bought on a whim, and I thought I would try to do something with that. I planned to make nutty pumpkin muffins with a molten date caramel core. The batter looked promising, but the final results were disappointing (I’m not even sure they were edible).

Vegan date and chocolate flapjack

It was time to come up with a plan B. I had about half the date caramel left (which was really more of a date paste). I also realised that I had some dairy free chocolate chips in the cupboard. The thought struck me: flapjack. Cake can go wrong in so many ways, especially when you attempt to make it vegan and gluten free. But flapjack? Making a flapjack vegan requires one simple substitution (dairy-free spread instead of butter). This can’t go wrong.

Vegan date and chocolate flapjack

Sure enough, the flapjacks turned out well! Sticky, golden and toothsome, with a sweet layer of chocolate and date paste in the middle. Who said vegans have to live off celery sticks and hummus?

Vegan Chocolate and Date flapjack:

150g dates

1 tbsp almond butter

Almond milk

Vanilla extract

50g dairy-free chocolate chips (I used a mix of white and milk chocolate)

500g pure oats

8 tbsps golden syrup

200g light muscovado sugar

250g dairy-free spread

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a deep pan with baking paper.
  2. Combine the dates with the almond butter, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Add splashes of almond milk until you have a paste.
  3. Melt the spread, golden syrup and sugar together, then add them to the oats and stir to combine.
  4. Place half the oat mixture into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Then spread the date paste on top of this layer.
  5. Scatter the chocolate chips over the date paste layer. Then place the rest of the oats on top.
  6. Bake for half an hour until golden, then leave to cool completely before slicing.

Cheddar pepper flapjacks

I had the idea for this bake in the best place to have ideas: the shower.  I decided that I wanted to bake something savoury so that my family and I would not be drowning in cake come Christmastime (although come to think of it that sounds like a great way to go). 

For whatever reason, I recalled the cheesy, savoury flapjacks that my mum used to make me for my school bag.  I know that you might be confused and mildly disgusted by this idea, but once you get your head (and your mouth) around these treats I think you’ll change your mind (unless you’re a cheese hater, but I don’t tend to socialise with those sorts of people).  

Cheddar pepper flapjack with pumpkin seeds

Some things I like about this bake (besides the fact that it’s delicious) is that it’s versatile, low cost and easy.  I know that my last recipe was bit complex.  This one is definitely for beginners, students short on money who want to make their own snacks, and anybody who’s ever wanted to eat oats glued together with cheese. 

Cheddar pepper flapjack with pumpkin seeds

I added pumpkin seeds, mostly because we had them in the cupboard and I thought they’d add a nice bit of colour.  I had the idea to position some seeds on the top; I think they look a bit like fir trees (you might disagree, I won’t blame you).  Upon munching my first helping, I also realised that the seeds add a nice vegetal freshness to a treat which could be too rich otherwise.  The herbs and paprika also give the flapjacks a savoury depth as well as adding to their golden colour.  

Cheddar pepper flapjack with pumpkin seeds

Feel free to add different seeds and flavourings, or even try a different hard cheese.  Great for lunchboxes and picnics, and, I like to think, leaving out for Father Christmas on the night before Christmas.  He’s probably fed up of mince pies by now.   

Cheddar Pepper Flapjacks:

360g pure oats (I use these because I’m gluten intolerant, if you’re not then use regular oats)

340g cheddar

3 eggs

125g butter

2 tsp dried mixed herbs

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp ground black pepper

Handful of pumpkin seeds

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a large roasting dish with baking paper.  Personally, I like the baking paper which has foil on the other side so it’s easy to mould to the pan. 
  2. Grate the cheese.  Please don’t hurt your fingers when you do this.  If little lumps of cheese fall in, it’s ok.  These will be bonus pieces and make the flapjacks even better.
  3. Gently melt the butter.
  4. Once the butter is melted, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
  5. Put the mixture into the roasting pan.  Spread it out evenly and press it down.  If you wish, you can use seeds to make a pattern on your flapjack as I did.  They will brown a bit in the oven but they’ll still look (and taste) good.
  6. Bake for 35 minutes until the flapjack is golden all over and the sides are shrinking away from the paper.  Enjoy the cheesy smell which fills your kitchen.