Chai Flapjacks

I drink chai tea on an almost daily basis throughout the year. This goes up to several cups a day in winter! I just love the warming spices and the smell, and I love translating that into other dishes such as porridge.

After moving into my new flat my motivation to bake dropped when I realised I had hardly any equipment and only a tiny oven. But I’m not one to shy away from a challenge, and these flapjacks are so simple I could have made them anywhere!

I don’t know if this is a really British thing, but growing up myself and my sisters used to make flapjacks on a reasonably regular basis, and most of it never even made it into the oven because it was so sticky and addictive! This must also be where my love for oats has stemmed from, I’m sure of it!

Anyway, back to these chai flapjacks. Depending on how much ginger you like these can end up almost like gingerbread flapjacks, but I don’t see how that could be a bad thing either. The recipe is also coeliac-friendly as it works really well with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend as well as plain white flour. Happy days all around! Just try not to eat them all in one go, and for an extra sweet indulgence drizzle coconut syrup on top just before serving.

This makes a standard baking tray of flapjacks.

Makes 24 flapjacks

Ingredients:

3 chai tea bags + 300mL boiling water
200g oats
2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
6 tbsp flour (both gluten-free and plain white work well)
200g pitted dates (if not using medjool soak in hot water for 30 mins)
10g fresh ginger (or 2 tsp ground ginger)
6 tbsp coconut oil
4 tbsp coconut syrup/rice syrup

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C
2. Steep the chai tea bags in boiling water for 20 minutes
3. Mix together the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, ginger (if using ground), and flour in a large bowl
4. Place the dates, ginger (if fresh), coconut oil, tea, and syrup in a blender and blend until smooth
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. Taste and check you don’t need extra sweetness. The mixture should be sticky and not too runny. As it cools gradually the coconut oil with start to solidify and it’ll become stickier and stickier
6. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and a little coconut oil, then scoop in the mixture and level out
7. Bake for 25-30 mins (25 for fan-assisted, 30 for standard)
8. Once ready there should be a hardness on the top but with a soft inside. Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes, then cut into squares