Apricot Rock Cakes

As you may know, I have an aversion to raisins and sultanas (although I like grapes).  I'm not that keen on dried fruit much at all, but, for some reason, I do like dried apricots.  I have made and posted about apricot rock cakes before but can't remember whether I posted the recipe.  If I did, apologies, but actually, it is so nice and easy and gives such good results, it is worth posting again.  For anyone who doesn't know what they are, they are a cakey-biscuity-chewy treat (I am sure that is a very helpful description!) and of course, they have fruit in them, so could possibly be thought of as healthy (!)

Ingredients:
225g/8oz self raising flour
110g/4oz margarine
110g/4oz granulated sugar
175g/6oz dried but ready to eat apricots
1 egg
a little milk to mix
brown sugar to sprinkle on tops

Makes 18 cakes.

1. Heat oven to gas mark 7/220 degrees centigrade/435 degrees fahrenheit. Lightly grease 2 baking trays.
2. Sift flour into mixing bowl and rub in the margarine.
3. Add sugar and apricots. Make a well in the centre.
4. Beat the egg, then add to dry ingredients with a little milk, to make a stiff consistency.
5. Place the mixture in rough heaps on the baking trays, leaving a little space between them as they will spread a bit. Sprinkle on some brown sugar
6. Bake for approx 10 mins (mine take longer but I have a very old oven) until golden brown.
7. Cool on wire rack.  Once cool, test quality of rock cakes (cook's prerogative) and enjoy!

Of course, if you don't have problems with dried fruit, you can put whatever you like in the cakes; traditionally it is mixed dried fruit. Dried cranberries, dried blueberries... Chocolate chips might be a nice addition too...

Flapjack

I did say that flapjack might be the next baking project so here it is! It always amazes me that it is such a simple recipe with only four ingredients and tastes so yumptious (another of my very descriptive but not necessarily technically correct words, combining scrumptious and yummy). You need 4 level tablespoons of Golden Syrup melted with 4 oz margarine in a saucepan. To this you add 3 oz granulated sugar and 8 oz porridge oats, put into a greased square tin and cook for around 30 minutes on Gas 3.

I have managed to over cook these sometimes and they go too hard and crunchy. I have also found (through experience) that you must cut them up while still warm otherwise they harden too quickly and it is then difficult to cut them into shapes.

What a lovely treat!