Goan flapjacks?!

I brought some wonderfully sweet dried fruits back from Goa (India) last month.

As well as buying dried mango and dried pineapple, which is nothing like the tasteless rubbish you can buy here, I got some dried gooseberries. They are much larger than the gooseberries here and quite delicious! They have the taste and texture similar to a dried apricot. I was amazed I liked them (when the nice man in the shop gave me one to try along with a dozen other bits….) because I can’t stand gooseberry pickle!

With the weather as bad as ever, I decided to use the fruits to make some healthy (hmmm?) filling oaty flapjacks. I’ve adapted a Jamie Oliver recipe, he suggests 150g of dried cherries, apricots, cranberries or prunes.

Ingredients:
250g butter, plus extra for greasing
150g dried mango, dried pineapple and dried gooseberries
4 tablespoons golden syrup
200g brown sugar
350g oats

Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF/gas 2, or turn the rayburn off! Lightly butter or line a 20cm x 30cm, 4cm deep baking tray. Chop the dried fruit into small bite size pieces.

Put the golden syrup, sugar and butter into a large saucepan on a medium heat until the butter has melted and everything is bubbling and golden.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the oats and dried fruit.

Pour the mixture into the baking tray and press it down with the back of a wooden spoon to make it smooth and flat or bang the tray off a hard surface.

Bake in the hot oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before cutting into portions with a sharp knife.
But don’t take the individual flapjacks out of the tray yet, you’re better off leaving them until they are completely cool then use a fish slice or spatula to get right down to the bottom of the tray and lift them out.

Store in an airtight container until needed or just eat them all!

Crumbly, yet firm and chewy!

Melissa xx