Bready or Not: British Flapjacks
Time for flapjacks–British-style flapjacks, which are like American granola bars! This recipe, modified from British baking goddess Mary Berry, is super-easy and delicious.
In advance of my big trip to the UK last June, I wanted to make numerous British, Scottish, and French goodies so I could then find the legit thing over there to see if I did it right.
I ended up eating a lot of different flapjacks. Not only are they common to find at bakery counters everywhere, but in grocery stores I found a lot of what Americans call energy bars are labeled as flapjacks instead.
This particular flapjack is more like a bakery-style flapjack: like a toffee-rich granola bar. A drizzle of chocolate, I found, added some necessary contrast and balance.
My husband took these to work. A Scottish-born co-worker gave one a try and actually asked, “Is this a flapjack?” I cheered and danced when I heard that. I did it! I made a recognizable flapjack!
I found the original version of this recipe in Mary Berry’s cookbook Baking with Mary Berry. Unlike most (or maybe all) of her other cookbooks, this one is in American measurements, though it still features loads of British goods. Click on the picture below to find it on Amazon.
I modified another recipe from this book, too. Find my take on British-style Gingerbread here!
Bready or Not: British Flapjacks
Equipment
- 8x12x1-inch pan (small jelly roll pan)
Ingredients
Flapjacks
- 9 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stick plus 1 Tablespoon
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 1/2 cups rolled old-fashioned oats
Chocolate Drizzle
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon shortening
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line pan with aluminum foil and apply grease or nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, gently heat the butter, corn syrup, and sugar until everything is melted together with the sugar dissolved. Stir in oats to completely coat.
- Scoop everything into the prepared pan. Use an uneven spatula to spread out evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes. Leaving contents in pan, slice into thin rectangular bars. Let completely cool.
- Use foil to lift contents onto cutting board. Slice again to separate.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat up chocolate chips with shortening, cooking in 20 second bursts and stirring well between each time, until chocolate smoothly stirs together. Use a fork to drizzle over flapjacks.
- Store in sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Millionaire Shortbread
Millionaire Shortbread. Gorgeous. Delicious. A little bit of extra effort to make, but SO WORTH IT.
I wanted to concoct the best-possible Millionaire Shortbread. This involved strenuous testing of recipes. Much baking. Much reliance on test subjects (husband and his co-workers).
The resulting feedback? I wrote it down.
“This shortbread is enjoyed, and feared.”
“To call them excellent would be an insult to your wife.”
So yeah. The test subjects approved. I personally would rank this up there with my best all-time bakes, because it really combines the best of everything.
The shortbread layer is firm yet soft. THEN THAT CARAMEL. It is thick, luscious, and sweet. The chocolate provides the perfect balance, especially with the help of some Maldon salt flakes.
Do note that the ganache needs to be semisweet chocolate, or an even darker variety. Milk chocolate is just too sweet against that thick caramel. I say that, and I usually prefer milk chocolate.
I wish I could say how long this keeps in the fridge, but my test subjects were a bit too voracious to provide perspective on that point.
Bready or Not Original: Millionaire Shortbread
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 cubes, softened
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Caramel
- 2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
- 14 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Chocolate Ganache
- 11 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 stick
- Maldon sea salt flakes for top, optional
Instructions
Shortbread base
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 baking pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Follow up with the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Scrape bottom of bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Gradually work in flour along with the salt. Don't overmix. It should still be crumbly. Drop dough into prepared pan and compress into an even layer. (A piece of waxed paper and a heavy glass make this easier.)
- Bake shortbread layer for 20 to 25 minutes, until edges are turning golden brown. Set pan aside to cool while the next layer is made.
Caramel
- In a large saucepan at medium heat, stir together the condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Stir constantly as it rises to a boil. Immediately drop heat to low, and continue to stir nonstop for about 10 to 15 minutes, until mixture turns a deep caramel color and thickens up; watch out, the caramel can spit out of the pan at times!
- Remove pot from heat and promptly stir in vanilla extract and salt.
- Pour caramel over the shortbread, using an uneven spatula or knife if needed to smooth it into an even layer. Cool pan for several hours until it reaches room temperature, or set in fridge to chill.
Ganache topping
- In a microwave-safe bowl (or, alternatively, on the stove top in a pot) melt together the chocolate chips and butter. Once it can be stirred smooth, pour over the caramel. Spread out into an even layer. If desired, sprinkle Maldon sea salt flakes over the top.
- Chill in fridge to let chocolate harden for at least 30 minutes. Use foil to lift contents of pan onto a cutting board. Let chocolate warm again, just a touch, perhaps for 5 or 10 minutes, before slicing into bars (otherwise, the chocolate will crack rather than be sliced through).
- Store bars in fridge with waxed paper between layers. Keeps for days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: British-Style Gingerbread
I adore famed British baker Mary Berry, one of the original judges on the Great British Bake Off. This British-Style Gingerbread recipe is modified from her cookbook Cooking with Mary Berry.
She has published a ton of cookbooks in the UK, but this particular cookbook has the measurements translated to American standards! Click on the picture below to order a copy for yourself–but maybe try my take on one of her recipes first, as it’s a great example of what you’ll find.
I’ve eaten and baked a number of American-style gingerbread recipe. This one is different in a lot of ways. First of all, the cooking method. It’s prepared on the stovetop, then baked.
The end result is tall, spongy, and cakey, with a solid ginger kick. And like chocolate recipes, this gingerbread actually improves after a day, as the flavors become deeper and more complex. Almost coffee-like, though it contains no coffee.
Oh yeah, and it’s REALLY REALLY GOOD.
The sporadic candied ginger pieces throughout add vivid pops of flavor, in an already ginger-filled cake.
This would be especially good paired with tea, coffee, or a good, stout beer (Guinness, in particular, comes to mind).
Bready or Not: British-Style Gingerbread
Equipment
- 9x13 casserole pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 1 cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 1 cup molasses
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 3 pieces candied ginger coarsely chopped
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line baking pan with aluminum and apply butter or nonstick spray.
- In a large pot, warm the butter, sugar, and molasses until it is combined and smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Mix the flour and spices into the big pot, followed by the eggs and the candied ginger pieces.
- In a small saucepan, warm the milk--don't boil! Add the baking soda. Pour into the gingerbread mixture and mix together.
- Pour everything into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. When done, it will be spongy to the touch and pass the toothpick test in the middle.
- Let cool in pan, either at room temperature or in the fridge. Once cool, use the foil to lift onto a cutting board and slice into bars.
- Store in a covered dish with waxed paper or parchment between the layers. Flavor will grow deeper and more complex over the next day.
