Beer Flapjacks

Any one who's ever brewed their own beer will know that after the mash you're left with a large amount of grain which is simply thrown away. As usual this was the case yesterday after brewing some IPA. In this new climate of austerity I decided that to throw away all the grain simply seemed nonsensical. After trying some of the spent grains they still tasted slightly sweet and with nice hints of caramel. Perfect for flapjacks! So I took some of the grain, dried it out in the oven and hey presto I've got a flapjack mix. The recipe can be found below.

Beer Grain Flapjacks

Ingredients:

• 200g Oven Dried Spent Beer Grains (This was a mix of maris otter and carapils)
• 300g Rolled Oats
• 300g Butter
• 10 Tablespoons Golden Syrup
• ~150ml of suitable beer (I used Meantime Chocolate Stout)
• Optional: 200g chocolate (to top)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C
2. Line a shallow dish with greaseproof paper
3. Add butter, golden syrup and beer to a pan and heat on a medium heat until butter has fully melted and mixture is smooth
4. Using a large bowl mix the oats and grain into the liquid mixture until all the grains are sticky and wetted
5. Pour into a shallow dish and cook in oven for ~20minutes or until golden brown on top. Leave on a wire rack to cool. They will feel soft at this point but they will harden as they cool
6. After allowing to cool for about an hour start melting the chocolate in the microwave
7. Layer the molten chocolate over the top surface of the flapjacks and allow to cool (I decorated with some chocolate buttons)
8. Cut into manageable sizes
9. Eat and enjoy them!

These flapjacks would be particularly yummy with any kind of rich, chocolaty stout or alternatively a slightly sweet golden ale.