White Chocolate Halva Flapjacks

Before we got to tuck into the matcha cake of my previous post, we had the enviable task of spending a few hours having fun on a mostly deserted Cornish beach. Despite being a local lass, I had never been to this beach before so it was a particularly exciting adventure. Down the long, winding and sometimes steep cliff path we went, with no sight of the beach or the group of friends we were there to meet. Was this beach a piece of fiction made up to give us an added adventure? The views were fantastic though and CT was botanising and enjoying the coastal flora. At last, around a corner, we spotted a hidden gem - a large and virtually empty beach. Apparently when the tide is in, there is no beach, but our more knowledgeable friends had timed our visit for maximum benefit. Despite the threat of rain, we remained dry and for a couple of hours we even enjoyed blue skies and sunshine.

As we don't get to have picnics on special beaches very often, I thought something other than my normal work rye sourdough sandwiches was called for. So I pulled out the stops and made some milk bread rolls, inspired by Joanna of Zeb Bakes but actually using Andrew Whitley's recipe in Bread Matters. But what for pudding? Something for all to share, but something that was not too heavy to carry and would travel well. I didn't wonder for too long. I'd recently seen Dan's wonderful recipe for Halva Flapjacks, first on Suelle's blog Mainly Baking and then on Foodycat. It appealed straight away and I reckoned would be just perfect for a beach party. The theory is that using tahini means the butter content of normal flapjacks can be reduced. Well this maybe so, but I don't think anyone could kid themselves these were healthy snacks. Even less so with my adaptation to include white chocolate!

• Melted 100g of unsalted butter with 50g brown sugar and 200g condensed milk in a large pan.
• Took off the heat and added 50g chopped white chocolate and left to melt.
• Added 75g tahini and 50g honey and stirred until all incorporated.
• Stirred in 100g chopped dates, 100g chopped walnuts and 20g sesame seeds.
• Worked in 225g rolled oats.
• Packed the mixture into a 9" square mould and scattered a few more sesame seeds over the top.
• Baked for 20 minutes at 180C until golden.
• Left to cool, then cut into 16 squares.

A cross between fudge and flapjacks, these were a very sweet and sticky but delicious treat. Those middle eastern flavours of dates, sesame and honey worked really well together and the nuts were plentiful giving a lovely crunch to the texture. Luckily, I remembered to take some photos before we polished them all off. The party ended with a flapjack powered Frisbee session before clambering back up the cliffs and home for tea.