As I was flicking through our Cook with Kids book by Rob Kirby, I came across a recipe for ‘super fit flapjacks’. Instead of just being oats, butter, sugar and syrup, these included various dried fruits and seeds. I didn’t actually have many of the fruit and seeds in the recipe, but it inspired me to make some flapjacks with some of the unusual dried fruit – golden berries and cranberries mix – that I bought recently because it was on offer in the supermarket and the seeds that I had in the cupboard – sesame and caraway.
In a previous baking blog post, I wrote about the fact that caraway seeds are supposed to be a galactagogue – something that stimulates breast-milk production. Oats are also supposed to be a galactagogue, hence the name for the flapjacks that I ended up creating. As well as being good for milk making purposes, flapjacks are in general a good source of energy, particularly with the dried fruit and seeds in, and energy is something I really need at the moment. I find that I get peckish in the night with all the feeding Joel does, so these are great to nibble on in the early hours. The high seed content makes these like a cross between sesame snaps (though softer) and traditional oaty flapjacks. 
Even if you’re not trying to induce or increase lactation, these flapjacks are a delicious treat and will keep you going if you’re in need of energy for another reason. Here’s the recipe if you’d like to have a go. It’s very easy and it took Andrew and me about 10 minutes to make plus cooking time.
Ingredients
- 125g brown sugar
- 90g margarine
- 90g honey
- 175g oats
- 100g dried friut (I used 60g sultanas, 40g mixed cranberries and golden berries)
- 100g seeds (I used 60g sesame seeds, 40g caraway seeds)
Method
- Start by lining a square or rectangular baking tin with greaseproof paper.
- Put the oats, fruit and seeds in a big bowl, and stir until well mixed.
- Melt the sugar, margarine and honey in a bowl in the microwave or over a pan of boiling water on the hob.
- Add the melted ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven at 160ºC (fan) for about 10-15 mins until golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before cutting into squares, as the flapjack needs to harden as it cools.
- Store in an airtight container (next to your bed if you’re me!)