Flapjack disaster

[soupfiend]

Where did I go wrong?

I followed the recipe below but it came out like concrete, welded to the parchment paper, the few bits I managed to scrape off have now hurt my jaw, Ive woken up with a painful jaw and its from where I tried to salvage a few bits.

Its inedible, rock solid, you could pave roads with it, its in the bin now and its so solid it wouldnt even fit in the bin very easily because you cant break it up

It seemed to need a lot more cooking, so around 40 mins, did I overcook it? But if I had taken it out at the 20 mins mark it was still liquid and swimming?

I did add dried cherries to it and also chopped hazelnuts but cant see that would have made such a difference

https://www.grumpycookclub.com/flapjacks.html

You cooked it too long. When you take it out of the oven, it keeps on cooking due to the heat in it.

It’s still pretty soft when it comes out of the oven, it hardens up as it cools.

Not surprised it was like concrete after 40 minutes.

The link you posted tells you quite clearly what happened:

"*If you let it go too dark the sides will harden on cooling and you will need teeth like Jaws (The Spy Who Loved Me 1977) to get through it"

OK the biggest thing about making flapjacks is it has to be butter, not marge. Because butter solidifies at cooler temperatures. So you take the hot flapjacks out and as they cool they become more solid, but still soft enough to eat. Overcooking them wasn't the best idea.
But don't throw them away! You could serve them in small amounts with enough hot custard to soften them up? Or even just a bit of hot milk, eat them up like a warm winter granola?
That would be my suggestion to rescue this lot and next time trust the cooling process.
They can be tricky though, the old flapjack recipes. 😂

Yes I did read that bit!

But it was swimming, like liquid prior to that. Is it meant to be? It wasnt like that when it went in the pan

What a waste of lovely ingredients

I couldnt get them off the paper and I couldnt even scrape any more bits off itself, there was no saving it, custard would not have softened this believe me

I would never use margarine, dont even buy it, wash your mouth out!!!

The best Flapjack recipe is from a poster known as Soupdragon. Please google Mumsnet soupdragon flapjack (sorry can't link on the app).

The secret ingredient is condensed milk.

You're most welcome.

I find flapjack SO hard to get right and I am not a totally novice. I bake loads of cakes, muffins and biscuits. I find it much easier making healthy oats bars that are basically just oats and mashed banana with various optional additions.

I do have condensed milk in the cupboard and I was looking at it yesterday as I prepared them, wondering if I should pour it in.

What a waste of lovely ingredients

Bash it to a granola and sprinkle on yoghurt.

soupdragon flapjacks
250g porridge oats (the cheap type, not large ones),
150g Butter,
2 generous tablespoons (75g) Golden Syrup
half a tin condensed milk

baking tin, no bigger than about 18cm x 28cm

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees c

• Line the baking tin with baking parchment.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the syrup. Keep gently heating and stirring until all is melted and mixed.
• Add the condensed milk and mix. Bring to the boil for about a minute. If I'm honest, I just bung the milk in at step 3.
• Remove from the heat and gradually add the oats, folding them in. All the oats should be coated, and the mixture quite dense, but still sticky. Don't add so many oats that the mixture becomes dry.
• Pour the mixture into the tins and spread about so that it lines the tin to a depth of 2-3cm. Don't squash the mixture in, just spread it evenly.
• Bake in the oven for about 15mins. You should take them out when they just start to go brown round the edges, don't leave longer than this. If they're still squidgy in the middle that's fine, they set on cooling.

Maybe it depends on the recipe but I have to use marge (I use Pure or Flora baking block) due to food allergies, and they come out fine.

I do find that due to the water content of marge, i have to add a few more oats than the recipe states and slightly undercook (15 mins instead of 18-20) so they come out really squidgy but firm up in the tray.

My flapjacks have to be almost dough soft when they come out. Like peanut butter texture almost. They only need about 15minutes and light golden brown. As soon as you start getting any darker then that then you get a bitter flavour from burnt sugar.

Yes they will be shiny and wet from the grease but that usually gets reabsorbed when cooking.

The problem with that recipe is it needs half a tin of condensed milk, I am not a baker and we dont use it apart from in specific recipes so that would be a waste

The problem with trying to make them again is that I specifically looked for a recipe that was for museli because I was using up a box, which had 400g left in it. I dont want to buy another box because they're 500g and then Im left with museli which wont get used.

Very disappointed. There was no way of salvaging this for people posting to do other things with it, its solid, it would break a food processor for example if you tried to chop it up and it wont come off the paper so it would have paper in it.

But they werent soft, they were liquid after the 20 mins, not soft and gooey or squidgy. Actual liquid, I had to be careful turning the tray round in case it ran out.

I came on to say this too! No point using anything other than Soupdragon's flapjack recipe. A poster above has shared it (but agree with not boiling the condensed milk, very easy to burn it, I just let it all heat together.)

I always make double the amount to avoid having half a sticky tin hanging about. Half cooked then topped with milk chocolate for the kids. Other half replace some of the oats with ground almonds, add crystallised ginger, and top with dark chocolate for DH. Always goes and people beg for the recipe. Thank you Soupdragon!

Another vote for the soupdragon recipe. It’s incredible. Just make double and treat your friends!

Try putting the hard flapjack in the microwave for 30 seconds or so, it softens them up.

I think that recipe has too much sugar in it. Any chance that the sugar set hard like toffee, accounting for the texture?

I’m not keen on the condensed milk version at all.

I make Pam Corbin’s flapjack from the River Cottage books. It should still be liquid-like when it comes out of the oven. I think she mentions a muesli variation if you ever feel like attempting them again.

Maybe it's your oven. Shame about the flapjack. Try another recipe next time. If that also fails, it might be time for a new oven.

You cooked it too long. Next time take it out when the recipe says.

Flapjack that is too soft is edible. Flapjack that is too hard is not.

And any flapjack recipe can be made with muesli.

Smash them up with a rolling pin and feed to the birds.

They will love it.

Ok, I think I will try it again next week, less sugar perhaps, take it out earlier

Not sure on what I think about condensed milk, I might do it, or I might not.

I use a national trust recipe and it never fails me.
Preheat oven to 180c
Rectangular tin, about 28 x 20cm
Line tin with baking paper.

110g butter
110g golden syrup
50g brown sugar

Melt together gently over lowish heat.

Add in 225g cheap porridge oats and stir well.

Flatten into lined tin and shove in oven for 30 mins. Cut into 12 squares when it comes out oven and leave in tin till completely cold.

I often throw in dried fruit, seeds or nuts with the oats. I may reduce oats a little, maybe 20g or so, but most of the time I don't bother. Trail mix, broken up a bit, works really well.

I also mostly use stork because it's what I have always baked with. Butter is too greasy for our tastes.