Cranberry Pistachio Caramel Flapjacks

I know these are called flapjacks, and I imagine that they aren’t exactly what you were thinking of. While here in the States we think that flapjacks are pancakes, in the UK they are a type of oat bar cookie. That’s what these are: an oat bar cookie topped with caramel, pistachios, and dried cranberries. The original recipe called for topping that were more reminiscent of fall, so I changed them a bit to make this a Christmas cookie.

The hardest part of this recipe is knowing what caramel to use. This recipe assumes that you use premade caramel sauce, but I’m not sure that what we can buy here in the States is quite the same as what is available in the UK. I had caramel sauce from the Sonoma Syrup Company, and it is fairly thick but maybe not as thick as it could be. When I made the caramel topping and you are supposed to cook the mixture until it thickened, mine cooked a long time and didn’t get terribly thick. It still worked, but make sure you choose a very thick caramel sauce for this recipe.

I think that my flapjacks were a little too thick, so next time I would use a slightly larger pan or use a little less of the oat mixture. Mine were very crumbly, which make them very difficult to eat. I love the caramel, pistachio and cranberry topping; it’s a great combination of flavors. The caramel, since it isn’t super thick, is a bit runny and sticky, but hey, that’s not such a bad thing!

Cranberry Pistachio Caramel Flapjacks

9 ounces butter

6 tablespoons caramel

2 ounces sugar

12 ounces oats

3 ounces self-rising flour*

10.5 ounces caramel

2 ounces butter

2 ounces pistachios

2 ounces dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, caramel, and sugar over low heat. Remove from the heat. Place the oats and self-rising flour in a large bowl and then pour the melted butter mixture in the bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Firmly press into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Make the topping: place the caramel and butter in a medium saucepan and heat on medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens. Pour the caramel topping on top of the baked flapjacks. Allow the caramel to set for about 10 minutes, and then top with the pistachios and cranberries. Allow to cool completely.

Lift the bar from the pan and peel away the foil. Cut into bars.

Recipe from BBC Easy Cook

*I make my own self-rising flour by combining 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt