Cooking is a great boredom buster for children and gives them an opportunity to learn while having fun. Flapjacks and Gingerbread Biscuits are simple to make and a favourite with both children and adults.

FLAPJACK RECIPE

Ingredients

6oz (180g) Margarine or Butter

6oz (180g) Brown Sugar

8oz (210g) Rolled Oats

1 tablespoon Golden Syrup

Small pinch of Salt 

Equipment

12’’x 9’’ baking tray

1 mixing bowl

greaseproof paper

Method

Line the baking tray with the greaseproof paper and preheat oven (ask a parent to do this for you) to gas Mark 4/ 180c

  1. Put the margarine/Butter and sugar into the mixing bowl and mix together until creamy and completely mixed together.
  2. stir in the syrup, the rolled oats and a pinch of salt.
  3. Turn the mixture into the lined baking tray and spread it out evenly.
  4. Place in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes – until golden brown.
  5. Place the tray of Flapjack onto a wire cooling rack. While still fairly warm, cut the flapjack into small segments. (its important to do this before the flapjack cools down too much otherwise it will be too hard to cut through)
  6. When cold break apart and enjoy!!

Add some fruit or nuts to the flapjack mix before cooking to make them extra special  or why not melt some chocolate and spread it over the top..the possibilities are endless with flapjacks just remember to add your ingredients into the mix before cooking.

GINGERBREAD BISCUITS

Ingredients

350g Plain Flour

2 Tea spoons Ground Ginger

175g Soft Brown Sugar

4 tablespoons Golden Syrup

1 Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

125g Margarine/Butter

1 large egg

Equipment

Mixing Bowl
Baking Tray
Biscuit cutter

Method

Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger into a mixing bowl and mix together. Carefully cut the margarine/butter into small pieces (or ask a parent/guardian to this for you before starting) and add them to the flour and margarine until all the lumps have disappeared. Mix in the sugar.

  1. Crack the egg open on the side of a small bowl and let all the egg run into the bowl. Spoon into the bowl 4 tablespoons of Golden Syrup.
  2. Using a fork mix the syrup and egg and then pour it into the flour mixture. Mix everything together and tip it out onto the work surface sprinkled with a little flour. Squeeze everything together with your hands to make a dough.
  3. Cut the dough in half. Sprinkle a rolling pin with a little flour and roll  out one half of the dough until it is very thin. Using a biscuit cutter cut out gingerbread people. Carefully lift the biscuits onto the baking tray. Roll out the other half of the dough and cut out more biscuits. Bake all the biscuits in the oven (Gas mark 5/190c) for 12-15 minutes until the biscuits are a darker colour. Transfer the biscuits onto a wire rack and wait to cool.