Dan Lepard's halva flapjacks

Tahini has a curious effect when warmed, because it turns sugar and syrup to a fudge-like state. This means that with these oat flapjacks, you can reduce the butter content considerably and still end up with a firm fudge consistency after baking. 100g unsalted butter 75g brown sugar 200g sweetened condensed milk 75g tahini 50g honey 100g chopped dried dates or figs 100g chopped walnuts 25g sesame seeds 175g-225g rolled oats Heat the butter, brown sugar and condensed milk in a saucepan until hot and the sugar dissolved, then remove from the heat and stir in first the tahini and honey, and then the dried fruit, nuts and sesame seeds. Now stir in enough rolled oats until the mixture just holds its shape – the more oats you add to the mix, the firmer the finished flapjack will be. Line a 20cm or 25cm square cake tin (or similar) with buttered foil and pack the flapjack mixture into the base. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan-assisted)/350F/gas mark 4 and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the flapjack is just beginning to turn golden on top. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. When warm, cut the flapjack into squares and serve, or store in an airtight container. danlepard.com/guardian