I hate games that involve things like ‘what is your favourite flavour’ because how are you supposed to choose? I reason with myself at times like that…what does it matter? No-one’s saying I can only ever eat that one thing, no-one will beat me with a kipper if I fail to mention something that I think of later, but still I fret.

So. ONE of my favourite flavours is maple.

I would like maple on everything please – that and cinnamon. See?! I’m doing it already! I’ll discuss cinnamon obsession another time.

A family member of a family friend has sent me maple sugar at Christmas time. This sugar is revered in this house – I split it with my Mum and we all have to ceremonially sniff the maple sugar and bemoan our loss at not being able to get it here. How my heart soared when I saw it in the supermarket, but alas it was maple flavoured sugar and frankly, I spit on that. Not in supermarkets – the judge said I mustn’t do that any more. Ha.

If you cannot get maple sugar, then don’t worry, just use all light brown sugar – there’s maple syrup in it anyway, it’s just that the maple sugar ups it to another level.

So you need this lot ( I used the Sainsbury’s maple syrup because I had run out of my Waitrose stash. Waitrose’s #2 strength is far better):

Put 200g (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter in a saucepan over a low-ish heat and melt it.

Add 100g (80ml, 1/3 cup) maple syrup, 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) light brown sugar and 50g (mean 1/3 cup) maple sugar. Or just add 150g light brown sugar.

Simmer and stir that to get it to come together like a sauce and get the sugar pretty much melted. Don’t fret – you can’t do anything wrong with this. Just don’t boil its pants off, it only takes a few minutes.

Add the porridge oats to this

and stir well to combine.

Tip into a paper-lined 8″ square pan and smooth out. Scatter some extra maple sugar over the top.

Bake for 25 mins until golden, then put onto a wire rack and, keeping it in the tin, allow to cool.

Once cooled, lift out by its paper and cut into slices, squares, whatever.

This keeps really well in an airtight container

Should last the working week easily.

In theory. Yeah. Best of luck with that. Put it this way, it will KEEP for a week; whether it lasts that long is a different matter.

Maple Flapjacks

PRINT THIS RECIPE (opens in a new window)
200g (1 3/4 sticks) butter
100g (1/3 cup) maple syrup – try to get Waitrose’s #2 strength if you can
100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) light brown sugar
50g  (1/3 cup, meanly filled) maple sugar – if you don’t have or can’t get this, just use 150g light brown sugar
325g (4 cups) porridge oats

extra maple sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)

Preheat oven to GM4/180C/350F
Line an 8″ square tin with greaseproof paper

In a large saucepan,on a low-medium heat, melt the butter.
Add the syrup and sugars, simmer and stir until the mixture is coming together and the sugars have more or less melted. Only takes a few minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the porridge oats.

Tip into the tin, smooth down and scatter with more maple sugar if using.
Bake for 25 mins until golden.
Cool in the tin on a wire rack, then slice into bars or squares.

Keeps well in an airtight container – probably lasts the working week.