Jane's Flapjacks
After I finished my work this weekend, I rewarded myself by finally trying Jane's recipe for Flapjacks. I had purchased the golden syrup weeks ago at our local World Market. I'd never made an "untranslated" recipe from the UK before, so it was certainly an educational experience! I made the stupid assumption that you can use the 8 oz. = 1 cup rule for both liquids and solids. (What the heck was I thinking -- obviously it's been way too long since I learned "how" to cook and I've forgotten a few of the basics.)
So, anyway, Jane's recipe called for 6 oz. of butter and 6 oz. of brown sugar. That's 3/4 c. each, right? Well, conveniently, that worked. But, how 'bout the 9 oz. of oats? 1 1/8 cup you say? Now if you're thinking (which I clearly wasn't), you'll realize that brown sugar is much heavier than oats. The recipe was WAY short on oats. What emerged from the oven was a gooey mess. (Which actually, when cooled, molded into tasty little candy-like bits that weren't too bad.)
At this point, I realized that we did indeed have a small RARELY used scale. So, I got it out and weighed the ingredients for a second go-round. 9 oz. of oats, is approximately 3 cups -- a lot more than the 1+ cup I used the first time. Viola. There's a reason for the scale. And it worked -- the little bars were wonderful. Even TheManoftheHouse and TheFirstChild really liked them. I'm pretty set in my ways though. It would take me awhile to get used to weighing everything out whenever I follow a recipe. Maybe if I make this recipe often enough, weighing ingredients will grow on me. I'll definitely be making them again.
And while we're on the subject of cooking, I've noticed a few more recipes I'd like to try:
An Eclair Cake recipe at Homespun Living
Pink Meringues from Miss Marzie
And, Cream Scones from Smitten Kitchen
(Hmmm. I've just noticed they're all sweets. Why do you suppose that is???) Now, I'm off to sneak a leftover Flapjack before bed.
XOXO,
Anna
7 comments:
Those sure look good. The "but where I come from flapjacks are pancakes!" comments at the recipe link made me smile. Most German recipes call for the ingredients to be weighed so I'm well used to it by now. After a while you get a mysterious feeeeling and sort of know by heart how much 500g of flour or 50 g of butter is by volume.
Flapjacks rock. It's also good to put some dried fruits or chocolate chips in too...I try to tell myself that the oats are low gi and therefore filling! hah!
When I lived in Mexico I had to convert everything from liters and kilos to cups and tablespoons. It is a trial but doesn't take too long to get a system going. Oh, my that eclair cake looks like it has my name on it. I don't dare look at the other recipes until after I've had some lunch.
I knew you had a sweet tooth, just like me! those flapjacks sound yummy, I have the same problem with American scales - always have to weigh everything - never sure the cup is the right size!
Kimx
Oh my gosh, those look so good.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
TodaysCreativeBlog
I just bought myself an interesting measuring gadget at goodwill that does all those conversions for you. Maybe I should put it to use.
...so 8 oz = 1 cup does not work for liquids and solids? That may explain some 'mistakes' I've encountered while baking...and here I thought the recipe was just wrong.
Just kidding, although I never use a scale in the kitchen.
I'm glad the flapjacks were tasty!
XO,
Jill
Post a Comment