Picky Bits: Brown Butter Flapjacks, Cornflake Clusters and Tahini Caramel Crispies

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The tubs of mini bites by Marks and Spencer were the height of luxury growing up. If there were people coming round, a birthday, or any special occasion, heading to M&S to pick up some of their chocolate cake rolls and mini flapjacks was a must. These days, the range has expanded and they’ve now got tubs of everything from popcorn clusters, pretzel fudge and coconut snowballs. These treats firmly fall into their own category. They’re not quite biscuits or cake…they’re just sweet picky bits. Something moreish to graze on when needed, to be brought to all sorts of gatherings or just enjoyed at home.

It’s feels quite fitting to be making my own little box of picky bits as I finally pick up the keys to my new flat this weekend (!!) and celebrate the exciting start of a new chapter after months and months of waiting and endless legal stuff. Baking has always been a welcome distraction so instead of making another trip to the dump or trawling through facebook marketplace, I figured my time would be best spent making sure I had enough snacks to power me through.

The recipes in this box are all pretty easy. It’s mostly just melting and mixing and everything can easily be made in one afternoon. They’re the sort of things you would have made as a child but I’ve introduced a couple of tweaks to make sure they’re not too sickly sweet. My dream box contains brown butter flapjacks, tahini caramel crispies and cornflake clusters. Make them all for the perfect mix of chewy, crispy and crunchy.

This tub will most definitely get me through a weekend of changing locks, pulling up carpet and multiple Ikea trips. I just need to find the kettle.

Enjoy,

Benjamina x

Brown Butter Flapjacks

There are few things as comforting or as British as a flapjack. I don’t believe there is a better use for your tin of golden syrup than these. There are lots of ways you could jazz these up but I’ve always been a bit of purist with flapjacks. I don’t want any nuts, raisins or chocolate thank you! All I’ve done here that’s slightly different from what’s traditional is to brown the butter for a deeper, more caramel like buttery vibe.

My main tip for great flapjack is to not use jumbo oats as they’re more likely to fall apart. Regular rolled oats are perfect.

RECIPE

makes 25-30 mini flapjacks

250g salted butter
175g golden syrup
175g light brown sugar
360g rolled oats

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160c fan/180c. Line an 8 x 8 inch square tin with baking paper, leaving enough overhang to help you pull it out later.

2. Add the oats to large bowl and set aside.

3. Add the butter to a saucepan and heat until melted. Continue to cook the butter until it gets foamy and fragrant and you see some of the milk solids start to brown.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and golden syrup, stirring well until combined.

5. Bring the pan back to a low heat and stir until the sugar is completely melted, making sure it doesn’t come to a boil.

6. Pour the mixture onto the oats and stir well until everything looks well coated.

7. Tip the mixture into the tin, pressing it down firmly and evenly with the back of a spoon.

8. Bake for 22-25 minutes until the edges looked browned. It will still look quite soft and not set but it will firm up when it cools.

9. Set aside to cool completely for a few hours before using a sharp knife to slice into squares.

Tahini Caramel Crispy Bites

I recently tried one of the newer M&S flavours, the caramel crispy bites. It’s a mix of rice cereal and caramel covered in chocolate. I wasn’t a fan, and my main issue was that they were just far too sweet and desperately needed a salty element balance it out. I’ve recreated them but have added some tahini to the caramel for a subtle savoury nuttiness and opted for a dark chocolate coating instead of milk. But if you like things a bit sweeter, you could do a mix of dark and milk chocolate instead.

RECIPE

For the caramel:
75g caster sugar
15g unsalted butter
110ml double cream
20g tahini
big pinch of flaky sea salt

100g puffed rice cereal
55g marshmallow
25g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate
1/2 tsp coconut oil, optional (just makes the chocolate easier to pour and gives a softer set)

METHOD

1. To make the caramel, add the sugar to a pan and heat gently until it starts to melt. Swirl the pan around often to help it melt evenly. Once the sugar turns a light amber colour, whisk in the butter. It will bubble up but keep stirring to combine.

2. Slowly pour in the cream, whisking well. Let the caramel bubble for about 20 seconds before removing from the heat. Stir in the salt and the tahini, whisking it in well to combine. Set aside to cool.

3. Add the rice cereal to a large bowl and set aside.

4. Add the marshmallow and butter to a pan and melt gently over medium heat, stirring often until you have a smooth mixture.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the tahini caramel.

6. Pour the mixture over the cereal and stir well to make sure everything is evenly coated. Add in the rest of the caramel, stirring it in.

7. Lightly grease the palms of your hands with a bit of butter or neutral oil and shape the mixture into 4 logs. They don’t need to be tightly packed, they just need to hold their shape. Place them on a lined tray and chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up.

8. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in short bursts in the microwave or in a bowl set over simmering water.

9. Place the logs on a wire rack set over the baking tray. Once the chocolate is fully melted, pour it evenly over the logs. Use a spoon to help the chocolate cover the sides, reusing any chocolate thats collected at the bottom. (Alternatively, you could pour the melted chocolate into a narrow jug and dip the logs inside to coat.) Place the tray in the fridge for the logs to set.

10. Use a sharp knife to slice them to into smaller pieces.

Chocolate Cornflake Clusters

These are a real throwback to primary school days and are so simple they almost don’t need a recipe. There are versions of cornflake clusters that use butter and golden syrup instead of just chocolate but I don’t think it’s necessary. I did some very light research to check the ingredients list on supermarket versions and they all pretty much only use chocolate and cornflakes. Which then begs the question, why are we paying £4 for a tub when they are so easy and significantly cheaper to make yourself!

RECIPE

makes 16- 20 clusters

150g milk chocolate
60g dark chocolate
130g cornflakes

METHOD

1. Add the cornflakes to a bowl and set aside.

2. Add the milk and dark chocolate to a heatproof bowl and melt it in short bursts in the microwave or set it over a pan of simmering water. Stir well until melted.

3. Pour the chocolate onto the cornflakes and give it a good stir until the cornflakes are fully coated.

4. Line a large baking tray and use a small ice cream scoop to portion out small mounds of cornflakes. You can also just spoon out portions, they don’t need to be perfect!

5. Place the tray in the fridge to chill until firm.

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