Fix Flapjacks for a Quick Cookie Snack - Tasty and Filling English Flapjacks

"Come, thou shant go home, and we'll have flesh for holidays, fish for fasting-days, and moreo'er puddings and flap-jacks, and thou shalt be welcome."

This quotation from Act II Scene I of Shakespeare's Pericles, Prince of Tyre is perhaps the first known literary allusion to the flapjack. In fact at that time the flapjack was a tart rather than a cookie.The word is also entered in an early 17th Century dictionary. However, the earliest definition of the word relates to the tossed pancake kind of flapjack; it was not until the 1930s that the name was used to refer to the British oat cookie.

A flapjack is different depending on what part of the world you come from. British English and American English are two very different languages, you can never assume that a word you use in Britain has the same meaning or connotation that it has in the United States. This is particularly true of terms used in baking and cooking. In the UK the basic ingredients of a flapjack are oats. Flour is not part of the recipe. Traditionally its preparation begins in a pan on the top of the cooker and then it is squashed into a baking tray and finished off in the oven. The final consistency is much like a cookie.

British flapjacks then are totally different to the American version. In the USA, Canada and South Africa flapjacks are more like pancakes. They are larger, heavier and chewier than the European crepe. They are made with flour, rather than oats, and have much the same consistency as what would be known as Drop Scones or Scotch Pancakes in the UK.

After you have tried out the basic recipe you can customise your flapjacks by adding nuts, raisins, and flaked coconut. Alternatively you can use chopped apple or even chocolate chips. Use golden syrup or honey instead of sugar.

Crumble the flapjacks and add them to cereal and fruit to eat with milk or yoghurt as a delicious breakfast muesli!

It doesn't seem fair not to include the delicious American style flapjacks. In the UK these are known as Drop scones or Scotch pancakes. Simply make a batter by whisking together a cup of flour, one egg, a tablespoon each of baking powder and sugar, a pinch of salt and a cup and a half of milk. Drop tablespoons of the batter onto a buttered griddle or large non-stick frying pan. Flip them over when bubbles appear-they'll be a wonderful golden brown underneath. Give them a minute and slip them onto a plate.

You can add fruit and nuts or cinnamon, and serve with yoghurt or cream. If you prefer, leave out the sugar and add cheese or crispy bacon bits. Whichever way you serve them they're sure to be delicious!