flapjacks

flapjacks

A British classic. aI always have a bag of flapjacks in the freezer, making them perfect to grab for lunchboxes, days out or a working from home pick me up. Having tried loads of flapjack recipes over the years, this is the one I keep coming back to. 

How to make flapjacks stick together and not crumble

Splitting the oats in two and blending half into a flour really helps everything stick together. It is also vital to really press the mixture into the tray before you cook. And resist the temptation to take them out of the tray when they are warm. As they cool, the butter will harden and hold everything together. That said, if it does crumble, don’t stress, it still tastes delicious.

If you prefer your flapjacks to be crisp and thin, just cook them in a wider, bigger baking tray or cook them for 10 minutes longer. I prefer mine a little chewy and deep so I make them in a smaller tray. 

Be careful when working with boiling syrup a sit can easily burn. Tempting as it may be, don’t lick the spoon until it is cool.

Flapjack ingredients

(makes 16 flapjacks) see below for substitutions

  • 300g (10 1⁄2 oz) salted butter
  • 75g (3 oz) demerara or brown sugar
  • 120g (4 oz) golden syrup
  • A large pinch of salt
  • 500g (17 1⁄2 oz) jumbo rolled oats
  • Optional – 50g dried fruit, nuts, seeds or stale cereal – stale cornflakes and rice crispies work brilliantly
  • you can drizzle melted chocolate over the cooled flapjacks if you want to be a bit extra

Equipment

You can now buy the equipment I use in this recipe through my shop. I’ve spent years testing my favourite bits of equipment so rest-assured that whatever I recommend is the best tool for the job and will give you great results without cluttering your kitchen with unused tools. I receive a small affiliate fee from Amazon if you buy via my link. The products don’t cost you any more. These small fees help me keep creating all the free content I share.

  • Digital scales
  • Large saucepan
  • A blender – you can use a food processor, mini chopper, Nutribullet or jug blender
  • Silicone spatula
  • a deep 30x30cm (11×11 inch) or similar (ie 20x40cm) metal tray

How to make flapjacks

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) or 360°F (320°C convection).
  2. Line the tray with a piece of baking parchment, scrunch it into a ball first, then open it up again to help it push into the corners.
  3. Put half the oats in a Nutribullet, blender or food processor and blend until they form a fine flour. This helps the flapjacks stick together so don’t skip this stage.
  4. Put the butter, sugar, syrup and salt in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until the butter has melted.
  5. Stir the whole oats and powdered oats into the melted butter mixture, along with any cereal, nuts, seeds or dried fruit.
  6. Pour the hot mixture into the lined baking tray and press with the back of the spatula or a spoon.
  7. Put the tray into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until almost set and golden.
  8. Leave to cool for around half an hour in the tin then slide out, using the parchment. Use a large knife to cut into 16 pieces.
  9. The flapjacks can be kept in a biscuit tin at room temperature for a week or can be frozen. They can be eaten from frozen if you are desperate. Or if you have more control you can leave them to defrost on a plate in the kitchen for half an hour.

Substitutions – Instead of…

Salted butter – use unsalted butter, coconut oil or any other hard vegetable oil margarine

Brown sugar – any brown sugar. White sugar can be used but you will lose the rich toffee flavour

Golden syrup – use honey or maple syrup.

Oats – If you don’t have enough oats, you can use a mixture of flour and jumbo oats. The flapjacks will be a bit stodgier but they’ll still be nice.

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