These Coconut and Chocolate Flapjacks are a perfect mid-morning snack. There is chocolate inside the flapjacks as well as drizzled on top, for an extra chocolatey treat.
A couple of weeks ago, we made a trip to Norway to hike Trolltunga with some friends. Trolltunga, also known as Troll's Tongue, is a narrow piece of rock that juts out over a beautiful fjord, placing you 700 meters over the water. If you read my last post, you may be wondering if I did this while I was pregnant. Well yes, 11 weeks pregnant and yes, experiencing morning sickness through the hike. My husband also likes to remind me that 200 meters from the top, I just broke down and started crying, not wanting to go any further. I'm glad he convinced me otherwise! It was definitely one of the hardest hikes I've done (on par with Half Dome in Yosemite!).
I'm definitely not a pregnant lady who wants to run a marathon while pregnant, or do other amazing feats, but I think the fact that I really was pregnant just hadn't sunk in yet. Maybe I was in denial about expecting a baby, and all the changes we would have to make. We had planned this vacation before I was pregnant, and it had felt a bit unfair that being pregnant should take it away.
So, we had some back and forth about whether to do the hike. I felt a bit crazy doing it, but I kept thinking we would never make it to Trolltunga after we had a baby. We'd probably be at Disneyland or the zoo instead. Plus, shouldn't I stay fit during my pregnancy anyway? (And we DEFINITELY wouldn't be able to do this hike if we were twenty years older after the kid is out of the house!). The thoughts were a bit selfish, I admit, but we decided that it would be safe for the hike as long as we took a few precautions: 1) Jonathan carried everything (thanks, hon!); 2) I drank PLENTY of water; 3) we took many breaks so I didn't get out of breath (I even wore a snazzy Apple Watch for the occasion), and 4) I wore proper boots and used a hiking stick.
The hike and the views were stunning, and we are so glad that we did it! We were utterly shocked by how much snow there was still on the trail in late June though. The hike was 22km round trip, and approximately 20km of that hike was covered in snow. It did take us a grand total of 13 hours, and everyone we saw on the trail passed us, including someone hiking in boat shoes and no socks. We were slow, but we made it and had fun!
At the top of Trolltunga, we took a break and had tuna on rye crackers, energy bars, and plenty of dried fruits and nuts. I also brought along some Toasted Trail Mix, which was a pleasant taste of home. But as I was sitting there, I wished I had some of these Coconut and Chocolate Flapjacks with me too!
Coconut and Chocolate Flapjacks (GF)
Print Recipe Save RecipeIngredients
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup cold-pressed virgin coconut oil
- ¼ cup runny honey
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups quick cooking oats (porridge oats) (use GF)
- 1 ¼ cups unsweetened shredded coconut (desiccated coconut) - plus extra for sprinkling on top
- ¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips - to add in the flapjacks
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips - to drizzle on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 355°F/180°C. Line a 8-inch x 8-inch (20-cm x 20-cm) pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan on low heat, melt and mix together the butter, coconut oil, honey, golden syrup and salt, stirring constantly. Once everything is melted and mixed together, remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, mix the oats and coconut, until well combined. Slowly pour in the honey mixture, mixing until well combined.
- Gently and quickly stir in the chocolate chips until they are distributed, being careful not to over mix and melt the chocolate chips too much. Some of the chocolate will melt as you mix, but try to be gentle to preserve some pieces of chocolate chips.
- Pour everything into the prepared pan. Using a small sheet of parchment paper, press down on the flapjacks until they are firmly (but not too firm) packed into the pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- Using a small microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until the chocolate chips are shiny. Continue to microwave at 10 second increments if needed. Stir the chocolate chips and using a fork, then drizzle the melted chocolate on top of the flapjacks.
- Place the flapjacks in a cool area to allow the chocolate on top to harden. You can also place the tray in the refrigerator for about 30 - 45 minutes. Once the chocolate on top has hardened, remove the flapjacks from the pan and cut into 12 even slices.
Amisa provided me with the Organic Pure Porridge Oats and Raw Health provided me with the Organic Pure Blossom Honey used in this post. The beautiful blue stoneware plate is from Minor Goods.
plasterers bristol says
Yummy i love this recipe. they turned out great. Thanks.
Simon
Tina Jui says
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Bonnie Eng says
I can't believe I've missed this from earlier, but Congratulations Tina!!! These photos from Norway are so fun, and I am a total sucker for flapjacks. These look incredible, ideal for on-the-go munching! ;)
Tina Jui says
Thank you, Bonnie! We're stoked about the news. Norway was so beautiful - I love it there so much. Ah, might be the last big trip we take for a while though.. :)
Teresa jui says
yum yum i like coconut and chocolate snacks Terriann would like it too she is coconut lover.
Tina Jui says
Give it a try next time Terriann visits. Even Jonathan loved these!
Dietitian Debbie says
These look great for packing on a hike or perhaps snacking on during a road trip. My fiancé and I have a cross country road later this year and I am thinking I should bring these along. :-)
Tina Jui says
Of course bring these along! You're going to need so many snacks on a cross country road trip :) Have a great time and look forward to reading about it on your blog!
Meg @ Noming thru Life says
These look delicious! I am all about that chocolate and coconut action. Plus I have a love of oat bars too, so I am one sold cookie for these ;)
Tina Jui says
Chocolate and coconut just go so well together, don't they? I see you recently shared a yummy chocolate coconut pineapple pop on your site :) Delicious!