A Yank's Take on British Flapjacks

British flapjacks with almonds. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Welcome to 2013, the Year I Will Be Organized. There, I've said. I mean it and I intend to follow through. The hot zones in my house will be de-cluttered, the laundry list of chores and honey-do's will be whittled down, and I will be ready for whatever the future holds.

I'm already charged up about this project because I found a keeper of a recipe - British Flapjacks - in a March 2010 Bon Appetit that's been sitting in my bedroom for lo these nearly three years. Until this week, I hadn't made the first recipe from the magazine, but this week, in my quest to get organized, I finally made these fantastic cookies. The recipe is from Molly Wizenberg, of the Orangette blog, and is part of a sweet essay about backpacking through Europe and discovering flapjacks, not the pancake, but a cookie.

The cookie is simply butter, brown sugar and oatmeal with Lyle's Golden Syrup. I found Lyle's Golden Syrup at my local Publix and jumped on it like a lion on a hyena carcass. I looked over my shoulder lest anyone see me - how long until the inventory gods realize their mistake and take away the golden syrup? Golden syrup is somewhat like corn syrup, molasses or honey, but way more delicious. Look for the Lyle's to make these cookies, but in a pinch, I'd tinker with a combination of honey and corn syrup.

British flapjacks. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

 I've made a batch of these cookies each day for the past three, and everyone I share them with says the same thing - they are wonderful. Like the best granola bar ever. I think it's the golden syrup. Our palates are so attuned to honey, white sugar and corn syrup that the slightly molasses taste of golden syrup stands out. To the oats and brown sugar, I added my favorite sliced almonds, and there you have it, flapjacks.

British flapjacks with almonds
 ~ adapted from Bon Appetit

Repeat after me: 1/2 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, 1/4 cup, 2 cups. That's all you need to know to make these from memory. That, and keeping Lyle's Golden Syrup on hand.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, save wrapper for greasing pan
1/2 cup brown sugar (dark or light, packed)
1/4 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant or old-fashioned)

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine butter, sugar and syrup. Stir frequently

until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

2. Use butter wrapper to grease an 8 X 8 X 2 square baking pan.

3. Stir almonds and oats into sugar mixture. Spread into greased pan. Bake in 350 for 25 minutes. Cool for 5
minutes, then cut into four squares. Cut each square into 4 triangles. Cool completely before serving. Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature.

British flapjacks with almonds. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

And now that I've committed the recipe to memory, I guess I can continue with my organizing and pass the magazine along. Except for the recipe for lasagna bolognese that caught my eye...

Text and images copyright 2013, Lucy Mercer.