Banana Brûlée Flapjacks

Flapjacks are one of the easiest things to make and you will always have the ingredients for them lurking in your kitchen cupboards somewhere. It is probably for these reasons that I think they were the thing I made most when I was little, so they always bring back good old memories. I remember when we had just gotten Independence Day on video and it got to the bit were the alien comes back to life and it all got a bit too much for me (I wouldn't have been older than 7) so me and my mum quickly ran down to the kitchen and rustled up some flapjacks for us all to enjoy when the scary bit of the film was over. I can now never make flapjacks without thinking about Independence Day. 

I loved it when we topped them with melted chocolate, but they were always just as good on their own. This time I've put my own little spin on the classic old recipe, adding in some bananas and a crisp caramel topping. The most satisfying part is cutting into them at the end and breaking through the glass like caramel top and getting to the chewy flapjack underneath. The two textures work so well together when you bite into them.

The banana chips are really for decoration, so aren't vital to the overall taste, but as they're so easy to make you can always make them and use some for the flapjacks and keep extras in a jar for a healthy (and tasty) snack.

Ingredients:

For the Flapjacks:

115g margarine

4 tablespoons golden syrup

225g oats (I used GF)

2 bananas 

1/4 tsp salt

For the Banana Chips:

2 bananas (one large banana would be plenty just to cover the flapjacks, but you could make more to eat on their own!)

1/2 lemon

For the Caramel:

175g white sugar

2 tablespoons water

To Make:

• Start with the banana chips, preheat oven to 100ºC.
• Slice bananas in thin slices no larger than 1/4 inch. 
• Place banana slices on a parchment lined baking sheet as close as possible without touching each other.

• Squeeze some lemon juice on banana slices (this stops them from browning too much) and place your baking sheet in the oven.

• Bake the bananas for an 1hr - 1hr 45min, depending on your desired consistency. (I left mine for just over an hour as they don't have to be too crisp to go in the caramel, if you are making extras to eat on their own, leave them a little longer for a crisper texture.)
• After removing the bananas from the oven, let the chips cool on the baking sheet - they may be slightly gooey, but as they cool they will harden. 

• Increase the oven temperature to 180ºC.
• While the chips are cooking, make the flapjacks. Start by melting the margarine the microwave or over a low heat in a saucepan.
• Mix the oats, salt and syrup together in a large bowl and then add the marg.

• Chop up your bananas and add them to the mix. 
• With a wooden spoon mix it all together, mashing the banana as you go (you could mash the banana before adding to the mix but it isn't necessary, I think it's also quite nice to have some chunkier pieces of banana inside the flapjacks)
• Pour mixture into a lightly greased or parchment lined baking tin and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

• Leave the flapjacks to cool and make the caramel. Warm a large pan gently over a medium heat for a few moments then place the sugar in the pan, still over a medium heat. 
• Leave the sugar like that, keeping an eye on it, until it begins to melt.
• After about 5 minutes the sugar will start to melt and turn liquid around the edges. 
• Give the pan a good shake (try not to stir the sugar at this stage as it will create crystals)
• Leave it again until about a quarter of the sugar has melted. 
• Now, using a wooden spoon, give it a gentle stir and continue to cook and stir until the sugar has completely melted to liquid and is a dark amber colour. The whole thing should take about 10 minutes from start to finish. 
• Take the pan off the heat and add 2 tablespoons of tap-hot water – the caramel will splutter and steam so be careful! 
• Stir well and your caramel is all set to go.
• Place the banana chips over the cooked flapjacks and cover the whole thing with the caramel. (try to be quick in doing this and in evening out the caramel as it will set quickly!)

• Leave in the tin for about 5 minutes to completely harden and then cut into squares using  sharp knife.