Easy Flapjacks

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best, and this easy flapjack recipe is perfect for that. With four simple store cupboard ingredients to make the flapjack, and then you can add whatever additions you want as well.

Bake within 30 minutes for a sticky, chewy, delicious flapjack that will be perfect to bake ahead for snacks, for a bake sale, or just because you want something sweet.

Notes from The Patisserie

This delightful recipe is something that I have been gatekeeping for far too long, and I apologise. A classic, basic, delicious flapjack recipe that everyone and anyone can bake and enjoy is here. I will also say, for readers in other countries (I am based in the UK), this may not be what you are expecting to see…

A flapjack in the UK is a simple oat traybake that is a retro classic. A flapjack in other countries, such as America or South Africa? It’s more of a pancake, and not the oat traybake. So sorry to my overseas readers if that is what you were expecting to see!

I have made flapjacks thousands of times over the years, starting from when I really first started baking as a kid as it was always seen as the ‘healthier’ bake. The amount of sugar and syrup may disagree for some people, but per portion, it’s not that bad at all.

Ingredient Notes and Tips

The four base ingredients for a flapjack may be extremely simple, but there are still a few things to consider when it comes to which ingredient you buy. (Full recipe in the recipe card below)

• Butter – I would always recommend using block unsalted butter to make flapjacks, as the ingredient is pure in comparison to a baking spread or margarine. A baking spread should work as an alternative, but it may make the setting of the flapjack slightly different
• Sugar – I use light brown soft sugar because it’s something that I always have in the cupboard. You can swap it for caster sugar as well – and also the classic demerara sugar, but if you do, make sure to pay attention to the method of the flapjack.
• Syrup – I use golden syrup which is a readily available ingredient in the UK. It creates the perfect sticky sweet texture without being overkill. If you cannot access golden syrup, you can use honey instead – honey can be a little unreliable due to how different it can be itself, so I would go for base clear runny honey.

What oats should I use?

The oats needed their own section here, as there is a bit more to it than people realise. When Is started baking 20+ years ago, I didn’t even realise that there were so many types myself.

Sometimes, annoyingly, it’s not clear from looking at a packet if the oats are rolled, jumbo, porridge, instant, quick or whatever they may end up being, which can cause some problems when it comes to making flapjacks.

• Jumbo oats – these are the largest of the oats, and as they are so large, they tend to have a crunchier texture.
• Rolled oats – I would always use rolled oats when growing up. They are larger in size, create a chewy texture, but they are the fancier of the oat world. Often also called ‘old fashioned’ oats.
• Porridge oats – these tend to be the cheaper oats and have a smaller texture compared to the jumbo oats (but often, these also end up being rolled oats – brands make this vary)
• Quick/instant oats – these are far more powdery, and are not good for flapjacks.

To make this recipe as accessible as possible, I purposely used the cheapest oats I could buy at the supermarket – at the time of purchasing, it was £0.85 for a 1kg bag of porridge oats (and these were written as wholegrain rolled oats on the packet).

The flapjack mix-ins

The recipe will work perfectly as just a plain flapjack, without any mix-ins. However, the requests for a flapjack that you can adapt and personalise was overwhelming, so this is a guide on how to mix in different treats.

• Dried fruit – I used raisins when developing the recipe as it’s what I like, these are optional. The raisins are also interchangeable to other dried fruits such as sultanas, currants, or even dried cranberries. I would go to a maximum of 150g of dried fruit.
• Nuts – you can swap the dried fruit to nuts, if you prefer. As they are drier themselves compared to the fruit that can soak in some liquid, they make make the flapjacks a little more crumbly. To prevent this, chop up the nuts to a smaller size so that they can distribute more evenly. I would add up to 150g of chopped nuts.
• Seeds – you can also add some seeds If you like, such as pumpkin, sesame, sunflower or even poppyseeds. These distribute quite far, so I would use up to 75g.
• A mixture of them all – If you want to try a little of everything, I would recommend not adding any more than 200g of mix-ins, so that you don’t overload the mixture. The more you add, the more the ingredients will struggle to bind together.

Troubleshooting making flapjacks

Even though I would class flapjacks as an easy homemade traybake, they can be notoriously hard to get right in some aspects, and personally I would never say a recipe is foolproof. All sorts of problems can arise for many reasons, so I am here to help.

All ovens vary – annoyingly, you could set 10 ovens to ‘the same setting’ and they will not be the same. Almost like how a car speed dial suggests you are going 70mph, but almost certainly 10 different cars could be travelling at slightly different speeds. The flapjacks should turn golden brown on top, evenly.

Using the correct tin size and type – this recipe, like all of my other traybake recipes, is tried and tested in a 9″ square metal tin. Changing this to a different size (8″ is 25% smaller in volume, 7″ is nearly half the volume) can greatly cause a problem with a bake. Also, changing from metal (which I would always recommend) to glass/ceramic can cause a change in the bake due to how the dish conducts heat.

Prepping the ingredients – as simple as a base of four ingredients can be, you need to prep them properly. When it comes to the sugar, you need to make sure that the sugar has fully dissolved before baking. You also want to prevent the butter/sugar/syrup from boiling in the pan, as this will start it turning into caramel – low and slow is best.

FAQs

Storage and Freezing

Flapjacks are a great recipe to make for all ages, and they will always be a crowd pleaser. The good thing is, they will last for a good while once made. I suggest a good base storage is 5-7+ days, at room temperature. However, if stored well, they could last up to 10 days.

These delicious homemade flapjacks can freeze for 3+ months – I would portion them first, and then freeze on a tray until solid so prevent the pieces sticking together.