Swirly Chocolate-Topped Flapjack

What a great combination: oaty, fruity flapjack topped with thick, dark chocolate. But this recipe lends itself to many variations. The flapjack could be nutty, or treacly, or “coconutty”. The topping could be white chocolate, or milk or a mixture. And every one of these will probably taste as good – or better – than the original. Go on, experiment.

Makes: 20 pieces

Time: Flapjack – 45 minutes + cooling; Chocolate topping – 20 minutes

Level: Easy

Equipment: 1 x 20cm/8” square tin, greased and lined with baking parchment (let two sides come above the tin to help lift out the cooled bake later.)

Ingredients

Basic flapjack

  • 160g – 180g butter or baking spread or a mixture
  • 90g – 110g golden syrup
  • 50g – 60g light muscovado sugar
  • 270g – 320g oats (depending on how dry or sticky you like your flapjack)
  • 70g – 80g sultanas, raisins or currants or a mixture or leave out completely

    • Alternatives & additions

    • Honey (use to replace 25% of the golden syrup)
    • Treacle (use to replace 25% of the golden syrup)
    • Dark muscovado/Golden caster sugar (use half & half to replace the light muscovado sugar)
    • Replace some or all of the dried fruit with any or all of the following: glace cherries, desiccated coconut, nuts, seeds or mini marshmallows.

    Chocolate Topping

    • 150g – 180g chocolate (dark or milk)
    • 80g – 100g white chocolate
    • 1 or 2 food colours (avoid water-based colours as they will cause the chocolate to seize.)
    • Sprinkles or mini marshmallow, or nuts to scatter.

    Method

    Make the flapjack

    1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line the tin (see above)

    2. Put the butter or spread, syrup and sugar in a large saucepan and heat to melt the contents. Stir regularly to mix.

    3. Take the saucepan off the heat and add in the oats, dried fruit and/or any other dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to mix in well.

    4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and press down firmly. (A plastic dough scraper, used flat, is very handy here.)

    5. Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes, depending how you like your flapjack. (less time = sticky; more time = drier. Remember though, that it firms up as it cools.)

    6. Leave it to cool in the tin.

    Add the chocolate topping

    7. Set up two bain maries, one for the dark/milk chocolate, the other for the white chocolate. Have one or two small bowls standing by to colour the white chocolate. Also have your food colouring + cocktail sticks and teaspoons at the ready as you’ll need to move quickly when the chocolate has melted.

    8. Melt the darker chocolate first – gently and slowly to avoid burning it.

    9. Pour or spoon the darker chocolate over the cooled flapjack and tip the tin back and forth to spread it evenly.

    10. While the darker chocolate cools, melt the white chocolate. Pour some into each of the small bowls and quickly add the desired amount of food colouring.

    11. Pour or spoon blobs of the white and coloured chocolate over the darker chocolate and swirl with a cocktail stick. (Don’t over-swirl as this will cause all the colours to combine into a muddy mess.)

    12. Add you chosen sprinkles or other “extras”.