Name: Carrot cake fridge flapjacks
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: Makes 12
Ingredients: 170g butter chopped, plus extra for the tin; 200g pitted dates roughly chopped; 250g honey; 2 large carrots coarsely grated; 300g rolled oats; 100g dried cranberries; 150g dried apricots chopped; 70g chopped walnuts; 70g mixed seeds; 2 tsp mixed spice; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tbsp soft cheese; 2 tbsp icing sugar sieved; 1 small orange zested, plus 1-2 tbsp orange juice

Carrot cake fridge flapjacks cut into squares

170g butter
chopped, plus extra for the tin
200g pitted dates
roughly chopped
250g honey
2 large carrots
coarsely grated
300g rolled oats
100g dried cranberries
150g dried apricots
chopped
70g chopped walnuts
70g mixed seeds
2 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the icing

1 tbsp soft cheese
2 tbsp icing sugar
sieved
1 small orange
zested, plus 1-2 tbsp orange juice

Method

step 1
Boil the kettle. Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3½, butter a 20 x 30cm cake tin and line with baking parchment. Tip the dates into a heatproof bowl and cover with 60ml boiling water from the kettle. Set aside to rehydrate for 10 mins, then tip into a food processor and blitz until smooth.
step 2
Melt the butter and honey in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring until smooth. Tip the carrots, oats, cranberries, apricots, chopped walnuts, mixed seeds, mixed spice, cinnamon and a small pinch of salt into a large bowl. Stir the sweetened butter and puréed dates into the dry ingredients until combined, then tip into the prepared tin and press into an even layer using a spatula. Bake for 45-50 mins, covering with foil halfway through if the flapjacks brown too quickly. Cool in the tin. Once completely cool, chill in the fridge for at least 3 hrs.
step 3
For the icing, whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the flapjacks and cut into 12 bars. Will keep, covered in the fridge, for three days.