Easter Flapjack

Presenting ….. marzipan, fruit, nuts, oats and chocolate eggs. What a super combination. If tray bakes could talk this one would yell, “Hey, it’s Easter, come and eat me!”

Makes: 16 – 24 depending on size of tin and size of each piece

Level: Easy               

Time: Just over an hour plus cooling time

Need: Either a 20cm/8” square tin or 30cm x 20cm/12” x 8” tin

Ingredients for 20cm/8” tin & for 30cm/12” x 20cm/8” tin

  • 175g/6oz Butter, Stork, Spreadable etc.   250g/9oz
  • 175g/6oz Soft light brown sugar or Golden caster  250g/9oz
  • 175g/6oz Golden syrup and/or honey 250g/9oz
  • 400g/14oz Porridge oats 550g/20oz – 600g/21oz
  • ½ tsp Salt 1 tsp
  • 200g/7oz – 250g/9oz Extras (*See below for suggestions) 250g/9oz – 300g/10oz
  • 75g/2½oz Marzipan 100g/3½oz
  • 16 Mini –eggs to decorate  24

Method

1. Butter and line the baking tray. Preheat the oven to 160C / Fan 140C / 325F / Gas 3.

2. In a large saucepan, melt together the butter, sugar and syrup. (Don’t allow the mixture to reach boiling point.)

3. Measure the oats, salt and “extras”* into a large bowl and stir well to mix. (* see below)

4. When the sugar has fully dissolved, pour the hot mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to mix thoroughly.

5. Spoon about half of the mixture into the prepared tin then tear off small pieces of marzipan and lay on the surface. Press it lightly then cover with the remaining mixture. Level the surface and press down more firmly so that it all binds together well.

6. Bake in the middle of the oven for 42 – 48 minutes. (It doesn’t need to bake until solid, it will firm up as it cools.)

7. While the flapjack is still warm, decide how many pieces you intend having and cut lines to half the depth using a serrated blade. Use a knife or spoon to create an indentation in each piece then insert a mini-egg.  (Do this while the flapjack is still warm, but not hot enough to melt the chocolate eggs)

8. When the block has cooled fully, cut all the way through and remove the flapjack pieces. (A metal dough scraper is good for cutting tray bakes.)

Ideas for the “extras”*

  • Dried fruits (raisins, sultanas, currants, cranberries, chopped apricots etc.)
  • Chocolate pieces
  • Various nuts
  • Various seeds

A word of warning though: marzipan is very sweet, so take care not to make the end product too sickly sweet. I think my favourite combination with marzipan is chopped apricots and walnuts (or pistachios or almonds. I do like nuts.) However, as shown by the photos, on this occasion I opted for raisins, sultanas and walnuts.

They make a great gift too – here are two bags being prepared to send to my sisters-in-law:

Galleries

Gallery 1 – A nifty quick way to line your tin

  • Start with a square of parchment big enough to fit up the sides
  • Fold it in half twice then cut a slit in the open corner
  • Voila
  • Insert into buttered tin. The cut corners will overlap nicely.

Gallery 2 – Adding marzipan and the eggs

  • Marzipan “blobs” added
  • Cover and press in lightly
  • Create indentations for the mini eggs
  • Lightly press in the eggs

Click this link for more tasty traybake recipes. Two of my special favourites that I’m sure you’ll love too are these: Coffee and Walnut Blondies and Strawberry Millionaires Shortbread.

And, please have a look at my site for lots of other great sweet and savoury recipes. If you’d like to make a comment or ask a question please do, via the contact page.

Happy baking

Ian