Chocolate Fruit n' Nut Flapjacks

Whenever I go abroad I always forget how England are pretty much in a league of its own when it comes to cake. I mean let's be honest afternoon tea anywhere else just doesn't live up to the high standards us Brits like to set. I would say it's not really that hard to create an average victoria sponge or simple layer cake but it seems not even the 4* hotel I went to could pull this off. It was a real puzzler for me and my family because every savoury dish we had tasted amazing. Patisserie skills was perhaps not as matching shall we say. 

That's not to say I didn't try anything... I tasted every dessert on that buffet stand going but it all just left me a bit underwhelmed. Different look, different color but same texture and same flavour of pretty much nothingness.   Flapjacks are not cake, I know, but it's something I've had on my mind ever since I got back and so that's what I made. I love an almost chewy texture to my flapjack that's syrup'y and crammed full of delicious added extras. I like the combination of chocolate with fruit and nuts as it very much reminds me of my favourite chocolate bar brand - you know the one. 

I added my chocolate chips into my hot oaty mixture so it all melted into one. However if you prefer to have your chips staying as chips, then first pat the flapjack mixture into your baking tin and just before going into the oven sprinkle over the chocolate chips. I have to admit it's quite tricky to tell when the flapjacks are done when the mixture is already a chocolatey colour so be careful not to over bake as they will become crisp and hard, and no one wants that do we?! 

Chocolate  Fruit  n'  Nut  Flapjacks

Ingredients

225g butter 225g demerara sugar 75g maple flavoured golden syrup 275g porridge oats 60g dried fruit mix ( I use cranberries & raisins) 40g walnut pieces 100g dark chocolate chips

Method

Preheat the oven to 150°C / 300°F/ Gas 3. Grease and line a 12 x 9 inch ( 30 x 23 cm ) traybake tin. Next melt the butter in a medium saucepan with the sugar and syrup. 
Once melted take it off the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the oats along with the nuts and fruit and at this point the chocolate chips as well (if you want them to melt into the mixture.) Otherwise sprinkle on top just before baking. Pat the flapjack mixture into the prepared traybake tin  and bake for 35 minutes or until pale golden brown. 
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before cutting into 18 triangular pieces. Then leave to finish cooling in the tin completely before removing.