A Starting Point

Sometimes I forget when I’m sharing recipes that not everyone bakes, and that maybe some of you get a little intimidated by lots of steps or processes.

So here’s a recipe that’s easy whether you’re starting out or have been baking for ages. The measurements are in grams, so work away, Irish bakers!

Flapjacks (like homemade granola bars, Irish style)
{via Sarah!}

250 grams porridge oats (oatmeal)
1 can condensed milk (use the light version if you can find it)
and your choice of the following, adding up to 250 grams total:

pumpkin seeds
dried cranberries
raisins
almonds
hazelnuts
pecans
coconut

{I used roughly 3 cups of oats, then made up about 2 more cups of seeds, nuts and berries. I’m not sure if it added up exactly but it worked!}

Pour the condensed milk into a saucepan and heat it up, take it off before it boils. The idea is just to loosen it up so it coats the oat mixture more easily.

Stir the oats, nuts and seeds in a large bowl. I used hazelnuts, almonds, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and coconut. Pour the condensed milk over the oat mixture so it coats evenly. Spread the mixture into a greased baking sheet. Bake it at 150 C for about 25 minutes. Once it cools, turn it out of the baking sheet and chop it up with a sharp knife. Enjoy!

These might be the first Irish recipe I’ve made and they’re just delicious. I’ve been avoiding Irish recipes because I really didn’t want to buy a weighing scale and nearly every Irish recipe is in grams. But converting grams to cups or ounces all the time isn’t very exact. I haven’t been avoiding buying a scale because they’re too expensive, really it’s just because I’m not totally on board with the system. But that’s not very grown up now, is it?

As one friend recently put it, “So you’re letting a €10 piece of kitchen equipment keep you from an entire country of recipes?”

Well, when you put it that way…