spiced pumpkin flapjacks

... with Halloween just around the corner I always wish I was in America for this special holiday.  Ink now we've pretty much embraced it here in the UK now but they really do do it so well over there.  They take it seriously and I feel it really is a very serious time of year and with such celebrations now commonplace all over the western world I think it's important for us to remember the plight of the humble pumpkin.  Every year tens of thousands of tonnes of pumpkins get tipped, unloved into landfill and whilst I kinda love the appropriate creepiness that this picture brings to my mind I hate the idea of so much food waste. Fear not for the poor pumpkin because the clever people at Hubbub have created the #PumpkinRescue campaign which encourages us all to use as much of our pumpkins as possible wether that be through ideas for innovative recipes, pumpkin carving tutorials or simply helping us understand about food waste and how to reduce our own.  It's a brilliant and very timely campaign and i'd encourage you all to have a think about the amount of waste we create, especially at this time of year.

spiced pumpkin flapjacks with maple syrup caramelised pumpkin seeds
these flapjacks are a super-simple way to enjoy those bits of pumpkin that you've carved out of your 'Jack O'Lantern' but i've also caramelised the pumpkin seeds to create a sticky sweet topping so i'm really using as much of the big veg as I possibly can... I have to say that the flapjacks are great but i'm really impressed with the roasted pumpkin seeds.  I had no idea how simple it was to create such a delightful little snack.  Obviously this one is covered in sugar and maple syrup so they're not as healthy as they could be but it's inspired me to get more creative with this little seeds that come free inside my pumpkin!

for the sweet pumpkin flesh
roughly 200g of pumpkin flesh - I chopped mine into teeny cubes
3 or 4 nobs of butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup or golden syrup

for the flapjacks
175g butter
200g soft brown light sugar
6 tablespoons golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
300g rolled oats
the cooked sweet pumpkin flesh

for the sweet pumpkin seeds
the seeds of the pumpkin
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon all spice

pre-heat the oven to 180C and lightly oil a traybake tin - I used a classic Swiss Roll tin.

for the sweet pumpkin flesh spread the pumpkin out onto a baking sheet, sprinkle on the sugar and spices and then drizzle over the maple syrup and add the nobs of butter - bake for 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the flesh is soft and nutty

for the pumpkin seeds, wash the seeds first then in a bowl, add all the ingredients and stir together, then spread out over a baking sheet and bake for roughly 15 mins until the are golden - you should check on them and stir them a couple ofttimes during the cooking - set aside to cool

for the flapjacks melt the butter, sugar, syrup and spices in a pan and then once melted take it off the heat and add the oats and baked sweet pumpkin flesh and stir well

pour into the baking tin and bake for 20-25 mins until golden

cool on a wire rack but cut them into squares whilst they're still a little warm and sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top

naturally i'm linking this recipe up to the no food waste challenge founded by Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary and hosted this month by Kate from Veggie Desserts

because i'm being frugal with using as much of the pumpkin as possible this recipe is also going over to the credit crunch munch link-up hosted by Camilla from Fab Food 4 All and Helen from Fuss Free Flavours

eat and of course, enjoy!



from Belleau Kitchen

Share on Google Plus

About Unknown

This is a short description in the author block about the author. You edit it by entering text in the "Biographical Info" field in the user admin panel.