Hot Flapjack Pudding and Ice Cream

For some people, the best part of making a cake batter is licking the bowl. For others, cookie dough is a foodstuff in its own right. This is, then, perhaps inspired by that idea. It stemmed from a light night craving for a hot pudding, but also a desire for something quick and easy that didn’t need any shopping. Essentially unbaked flapjack mixture served warm, with good, shop-bought vanilla ice cream, it would be a stretch to call this a recipe, and, unusually for me as I don’t often use it, the cooking instructions are for the microwave, although if that is a little déclassé for you, then by all means use a large saucepan over a low heat.

I’ve written quantities below, but usually I would just guess – throw a chunk of butter in the bowl, add a similar quantity of demerara sugar and drizzle over what looks like two tablespoons of golden syrup. Once melted, stir in oats until it seems like no more can possibly be coated in the sticky mixture, although know it will absorb more than you likely think.

Delicious just with ice cream, and, if you think of it as flavoured porridge then definitely a health food, and comforting as it is, for an added indulgence, hot chocolate sauce drizzled over makes this heavenly. I would recommend Nigella’s Hot Chocolate Sauce from Express, (which I’ll post next, and note you’ll probably only need half the quantity for pouring on this), which sets a little over the ice cream, but oozes through the warm flapjack to flavour all with chocolate, although admittedly this makes this a little, if not much, more of an undertaking.

Hot Flapjack Pudding & Ice Cream (serves 2)

• 100g butter
• 100g demerara sugar
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 200g porridge oats (not instant), maybe more
• good, shop-bought vanilla ice cream, to serve
• hot chocolate sauce, if desired, to serve

Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup into a large, microwave safe bowl, and, on full power, melt in 30 second blasts, stirring well between each, until everything is runny and incorporated.

Pour in about half of the oats, and stir well until everything is combined. Continue adding the remainder of the oats, a few spoonfuls at a time, and mixing well. Return to the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute, to warm it all through again, and then divide between two bowls and top with a few scoops of ice cream. Devour, preferably in slippers on the sofa. Burning log fire in the background optional.