Flapjack + cherries = Cherry Flapjack – two of my favourite things combined. Cook it to be soft and chewy or crisp and crunchy – you choose!
Well, let’s be honest, most homemade cake or biscuits or tray bakes are amongst my favourite things. I’ve always loved sweet things and the occasional piece of homemade cake or flapjack isn’t the worst thing in the world, although I do try to curb my natural inclination to eat the whole plateful.
Key ingredients
Rolled oats
For flapjack you want rolled oats – the normal-sized ones. You do not want:
– Jumbo oats, which are too big and your flapjack won’t stick together properly
– Coarse oatmeal/pinhead oatmeal
– Instant oats.
Glacé cherries
Any colour – I’ve used darker red cherries, but whatever you have is fine.
Secrets of Success
Easy to cook – even on a bad day
What I especially like about flapjack is that it’s hard to get wrong – unless you overcook it. On a bad day, whatever I decide to cook doesn’t seem to work. I weigh the ingredients wrongly, I add too many eggs, I forget to set the timer. You name it, I’ve done it. I can usually guarantee that whatever I cook won’t turn out right on those days.
Set the oven timer
Flapjack – or in this case Cherry Flapjack – is one of those things that’s harder to screw up than most. Probably because there’s so little to do that you don’t need a very long attention span – just remember to set the oven timer.
If, like me, you prefer your flapjack to be chewy rather than crunchy, you don’t want to overcook it. 20 minutes is enough. On the other hand, if (like my mum) you like it a bit crunchier, give it an extra 5 minutes.
Other than that, what can be messed up? Well, you could burn the butter instead of melting it if you put it on a high heat. Don’t do that, or you’ll have to start again.
Don’t wash the cherries
I don’t even wash the cherries for this recipe. I just make sure I stir them about a bit in the melted butter/sugar/golden syrup to separate them and dissolve the cherry syrupy stuff.
Is Cherry Flapjack gluten-free?
It depends on where your oats are processed. Oats are gluten-free, but they are often processed in factories that also handle items with gluten in, so the manufacturer won’t guarantee that your oats haven’t been contaminated.
If you are cooking for someone who’s coeliac, you will need to read the labels and find guaranteed GF oats.
What equipment do you need?
To make the washing up easier, I always, always use baking parchment or magic liner to line the tin. I hate washing up and I don’t like putting tins in the dishwasher. If they’re good quality I feel they should be cherished. If they’re not, the dishwasher is too harsh for them and will eventually damage the surface. Another thing I wish I didn’t care about, but I do, so there we are.
If you like this…
…Why don’t you try:
Oaties
Mocha Squares
Millionaires Shortbread
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Cherry Flapjack
Ingredients
- 165 g butter
- 125 g soft brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup (60g)
- 100 g glacé cherries
- 250 g rolled porridge oats, not jumbo oats
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of ginger
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan/ gas mark 6/ 400°F
- Grease the baking tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper or magic liner
For the cherry flapjack:
- Weigh the butter, sugar and syrup into a large saucepan. Heat the mixture on a low heat, stirring often, until the butter is melted
- Meanwhile cut the cherries into quarters.There's no need to wash them
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cherries.The butter will coat them so they aren't sticking together
- Stir the oats, salt and ginger into the saucepan and ensure everything is thoroughly mixed together
- Turn the mixture into the prepared baking tin. Spread evenly and firm down with the back of a spoon. Pull the mixture off the sides of the baking tin with the edge of the spoon
- Cook for about 20 minutes until a light golden colour for a soft flapjack. Leave for an extra 5 minutes if you prefer your flapjack crisper
- Run a palette knife around the edge of the tin then, after 5 minutes, mark the flapjack into bars or squares
- Leave in the tin until almost cold, then cut into pieces.
Notes
Everyday Cooks tips:
- Don’t be tempted to leave out the ginger. It adds flavour without being ‘gingery’
- I like to cut this into different sized pieces to cater for different appetites
Jasmin E says
What type of butter is best for this recipe?
Susie Collings says
Hi Jasmin, Whatever you’ve got is the short answer. 🙂 I use the same salted butter that I eat, but if I’m doing a lot of baking I might buy some more basic salted butter.
Karen Wickham says
I made a batch of the plain flapjacks and they turned out fantastic. I made the cherry ones today, cooked for 23 minutes. They set fine, so I thought, but crumbled and fell apart when I cut them – any ideas where I went wrong please.
Susie Collings says
Hi Karen, It’s hard to tell. These are all the reasons I can think of: tin too shallow; cooked slightly too long or too short (it really depends on your oven); cherry pieces too large. Did you cut them before they were cold? That’s usually easier.
I’m not sure if that will solve your problem. I hope so. Cheers – Susie
Nikki Mitchell says
You’ve missed out the cherry ingredients!
Susie says
The vital ingredient! Sorted now. Thanks for noting Nikki. Cheers – Susie