We’ve had a bumper crop of parsnips from our allotment over the past few months. These gnarled, rooty beasts may not be much to look at, but their strange appearance belies their wonderful taste. Delicious roasted, mashed or blitzed into soups, I wanted to try something different with a couple of parsnips we had left over from our pre-Christmas harvest and fancied baking them into something sweet.

Like carrots, the natural sweetness in parsnips makes them a great vegetable to bake with and they’re absolutely delicious in cakes. However, I’m feeling a bit caked out to tell you the truth. Whilst I have no intention of embarking on a new year’s detox, or (heaven forfend) a diet, January is the month for a little restraint after all the excesses of Christmas, and I wanted to bake something altogether more… virtuous. I combined our parsnips with apple, maple syrup and ginger, flavours that go wonderfully with parsnips in any context, and added some oats and chopped prunes to make some deliciously healthy flapjacks.

They’re moist, packed with veggie goodness and perfect for some guilt-free post-Christmas snacking. And you can’t ask for more than that.

Happy munching,

PARSNIP & PRUNE FLAPJACKS

Approx. 180g of parsnip (about one average-sized shop-bought parsnip or two smaller homegrown parsnips)
1 apple
100g butter
60g light muscovado sugar
3 tbsp maple syrup
170g porridge oats
75g of dried prunes, chopped
4 tsp pumpkin seeds
1 tsp ginger

Method

Grease and line a baking tray.

In a bowl, mix together the oats, chopped prunes, ginger and pumpkin seeds.

Peel and grate the parsnips and the apple and add them to the bowl. Mix well.

Heat the oven to 180C/160C (fan).

In a saucepan, gently melt together the butter, sugar and maple syrup.

Add the melted butter mix to the bowl and stir well.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tray, pressing down firmly.

Bake for 30-40 mins.

Allow to cool in the tray before cutting into squares.

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