Easy flapjacks

If you are feeling indulgent, make a drizzly icing with 75g/2½oz sifted icing sugar and a few drops of fresh lemon juice or water. Mix well in a small bowl and use the teaspoon to drizzle it over the cooled flapjack. Do this after cutting into squares, so it’s less sticky to slice. Or melt some plain, milk or white chocolate and, once smooth, use a teaspoon to swiggle all over the flapjack as it cools and before you cut it. Top with freeze-dried berry pieces or chocolate chips before the chocolate sets. The chocolate could take a few hours to set, so you’ll need to allow for that when anticipating serving time.

It’s best not to cut down on the sugar, syrup and butter however tempting it is to make a healthier snack as the oats might not stick together and it will be tricky to cut the flapjack into neat squares. Using brown sugar is essential to get the caramel flavour and the right texture (brown sugar contains more moisture than white). You can use soft light brown sugar instead of muscovado – it’s a less expensive and will work well, although the flavour might not be quite as rich.

You can use any porridge oats for this recipe, but larger oats (such as jumbo or whole rolled oats) will give a more crunchy texture to your flapjacks. For softer more chewy flapjacks, use cut oats (the supermarket budget lines are perfect).

Use a loose-based tin if you have one as it will make it much easier to remove the flapjack after baking. If you don’t have a loose-based tin, ensure that you leave plenty of baking paper overhanging the sides, so you can use it to help lift the flapjack. Don’t skip allowing the flapjack to cool in the tin before removing as this will give it a chance to settle and firm up so it’s less likely to break. Let the flapjacks cool thoroughly before cutting into squares.

If you don’t have a 20cm/8in square baking tin, you can use any with similar dimensions. Even a round 23cm/9in springform tin will work, although you’ll need to cut the flapjack into thin triangles with a sharp knife rather than squares. You will need to keep an eye on the cooking times if you use a different sized tin. It’s ready when lightly browned and the surface looks dry and glossy.

The flapjacks will keep well in a lidded container for at least a week due to the high sugar content. But you can also freeze them for up to 4 months. Either store in a lidded freezer-proof container or wrap in foil. If using for lunchboxes, you could wrap individual portions in foil and place in a plastic bag. Take out in the morning of the day you want to use them and they will be thawed by lunchtime.