Makes about 7 long bars or 14 small bites
A weekend favourite which rarely fails to hit the mark. This is one of those terrific all in one recipes that can be done on autopilot and is versatile enough for you to customise each time. Adding any combination of nuts and dried fruits, changing the chocolate topping and decorating with really whatever you fancy is all a part of keeping this base recipe going week after week
75g rolled porridge oats
100g jumbo oats
25g toasted chopped nuts
75g salted butter, plus extra for greasing
75g soft light brown sugar
2 tblsp golden syrup
Few drops of vanilla extract
50g white chocolate, chopped and melted
Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3 and grease a 2lb loaf tin.
Mix the oats and nuts together in a large bowl. Gently heat the butter, sugar, syrup and vanilla in a pan, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the oats and mix to coat well. With a spatula, press the mixture evenly into the loaf tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Leave to cool completely in the tin, then remove and slice into 7 bars. (Cut across into 14 smaller pieces, if you wish.) Drizzle over the melted chocolate and let it set.
Dear Gary, I love your blog. I have two questions.
ReplyDelete1. can you melt the chocolate in the microwave? It always takes so long over a pan of boiling water.
2. could you give me some advice on vanilla essence? when is it ok to substitute essence for vanilla pods? I always have essence in the larder but not necessarily the pods.
thank you.
Hi Susan, thank you so much for your kind words, very much appreciated. As for the chocolate melting, of course in the microwave is fine - it's cleaner, faster and safer. The only thing I'd say is to melt it in 20 second blasts, checking and stirring in between till you have fully melted chocolate. It melts faster and holds it's heat longer than you think, so as soon as it begins to liquify it'll be done in no time.
ReplyDeleteAs for vanilla essence - with all these kind of products, the more you pay the less you'll need to use. Frankly, pods are an expensive luxury unless you want to see little flecks of black through your custards or ice creams. As they don't last very long either, I'd invest in some good vanilla extract such as Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract - this is a terrific convenience product but is vanilla in it's purest form without the hassle of the bean.
Hope this is of help!