Salted Peanut Flapjack

I found an unopened bag of salted peanuts in the cupboard.  Ah, I know what it was. I bought two of those for a party as nibbles.  These classic nibbles weren't as popular as other stuff I offered and here they were in the cupboard.  So, I thought, I could made some Flapjack with them ........
Well, but they were "salted" peanuts.... for sweet flapjack?
"Salted caramel" has been really popular recently, hasn't it?  A bit of salt actually intensifies the sweetness.  So, here are my "salted caramel" inspired peanut flapjack.
They were surprisingly good.  A hint of salt creates a toffee like flavour.  Lovely with a cup of latte.

Ingredients 

• 7oz butter or margarine (butter, if you prefer) 
• 2oz golden syrup
• 2 tsp black treacle
• 7oz muscovado sugar
• 12oz porridge oats
• 3oz plain flour
• 3oz salted roasted peanuts 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C and line a 20cm/8in square baking tin with baking paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients, (oats, flour, sugar, salt and peanuts) in a bowl. 
3. Melt the butter or margarine in a medium pan over a low heat.  Add the golden syrup, black treacle and sugar to the margarine and heat gently. Once the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mixed dry ingredients. 
4. Pack the mixture into the baking tin and squash down. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
5. Once cooked, remove from the oven, leave to cool for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a chopping board and cut into squares. 

Pear caramel upside-down cake

There were some sad looking small pears in my fruit bowl. They had been there for a while but somehow they hadn't ripened. Some people prefer crunchy pears to soft and sweet ones, but I thought it was time to do something about them. So here it is. "Pear caramel upside down cake" It's a simple cake, but it turned out rather pretty, so I decided to put this in my new post. I hope this inspires your Easter baking.

Ingredients  (for 19cm round cake tin)

• 5 oz selfraising flour 
• 5 oz caster sugar
• 5 oz butter or low-fat spread 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp milk 
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 small pears
• for caramel: 3 oz granulated sugar + 3 Tbsp water

Method

To make the caramel sauce: 

Place the granulated sugar and water into a stainless steel pan.

Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and there are no granules.

Remove the spoon and increase the heat.

Boil until a golden straw colour and immediately pour into a tin.

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C.  
2. Place chopped pears in the cake tin when the caramel is cool and set.
3. Put all ingredients (butter, sugar, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, eggs and milk) in a bowl.
4. Mix with electric whisk.  
5. Pour the mixture on top of the pears.
6. Bake in a pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes. When the cake cools down turn the cake tin upside down.