Coconut and Prune Flapjacks

If ever you visit Bristol, there’s one location you must – assuming you’re to some degree a food lover – pop your head into; St. Nicholas Market. Chock-full of vibrant stalls and shops purveying food inspired by cuisines the world over, it truly is a feast for the senses. Inside the market building itself is a small, unassuming cafe that sells a wide range of delicious and frugal cakes; perfect inspiration for yet another flapjack recipe. So timid is the cafe that I struggle to remember its name, perhaps it doesn’t have one, but it has given rise to this mouth-watering recipe for Coconut and Prune Flapjacks.

Despite the addition of desiccated coconut – which you’d expect to dry a mixture out – the recipe below yields decadently soft and chewy flapjacks, punctuated by soft and juicy prunes that have been gently warmed with butter, sugar and golden syrup. Indulge in one in the morning – perhaps alongside a frightfully strong coffee – and you’ll be kept going all day long.

Though 100g of desiccated coconut may seem a lot, the flavour isn’t too overpowering, which is often the case with coconut-based food. Instead, the flavouring is fragrant and mouth-watering, drawing you back for more after every mouthful. Be careful with these coconut flapjacks, they are exceedingly dangerous and should be consumed with caution.

Fancy a healthy alternative?Check out my recipe for Banana Flapjacks,其中包含absolutely no refined sugar and little butter.

Coconut & Prune Flapjacks

Makes 10-12 Large Flapjacks

Ingredients:

• 400g jumbo/porridge oats
• 200g butter
• 100g granulated sugar
• 50g light brown sugar
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• 100g desiccated coconut
• 150g prunes, large chunks

Method:

1. Grease and line a square cake tin roughly 30cmx30cm and preheat the oven to 190C/170C (fan).
2. Melt together the butter, sugars, syrup and prunes in a pan. Place the oats in a large mixing bowl and tip in the melted mixture.
3. Tip in the coconut and combine everything thoroughly before pressing firmly into the prepared tin.
4. Bake the flapjacks for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and gently caramelised. Set aside to cool before cutting into slices or bites. For an extra dimension of flavour why not try drizzling with dark chocolate?

Cost:Oats are an incredibly cheap and versatile ingredient; it’s no wonder flapjacks are a go-to recipe for me. Prunes and desiccated coconut also tend toward to frugal end of the pricing scale and help to bring this recipe in ata very pleasant £3.