This Easy Chewy Flapjack Recipe using golden syrup, porridge oats and soft brown sugar can be baked in 20 mins. A wonderful easy recipe to make with children. It's an ideal snack to serve at teatime along with this Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake.
Flapjacks (Oat Bars) are traditionally baked in a flat tin with Oats, butter, sugar and golden syrup. But these days, square or round cake tins are fine. I've added a little flour which gives them a slightly chewy texture. Providing that you don't overbake the mixture, you should have deliciously tasty, chewy bars of oats.
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Why You Will Like This Recipe.
- Easy to make and a great recipe to make with children.
- 5 Simple, mostly storecupboard ingredients.
- They keep well when wrapped correctly.
Ingredients Overview.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I may have used them. See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
- Butter - Better for taste but Margarine is fine.
- Soft brown sugar - Demerara sugar is fine.
- Golden Syrup - Adds sweetness and a golden colour to the baked Flapjacks.
- Plain Flour - Or All purpose flour. No raising agent is needed. Also, try using Spelt Flour. My Guide to Different Types of Flour will give you more information about wholegrain flours.
- Salt - I prefer to use Sea Salt but table salt is fine.
- Porridge Oats - Avoid using jumbo oats as they are too large and could cause the Flapjacks to crumble after baking.
Step by Step Instructions
Learn how to make Flapjacks (Oat Bars) with these few simple step by Step instructions.
Preheat the oven to 180c conventional oven. Grease and line the base and sides of an 8″ square loose bottomed cake tin with baking parchment. This will make it much easier to lift out the baked Flapjacks.
Step 1: Melt the butter, sugar, and syrup in a large pan over medium heat until all the sugar and butter have melted. TIP: Do not boil the mixture or your flapjacks may turn out hard and difficult to eat.
Step 2: Take the pan off the heat and add the flour, salt, and oats. Mix thoroughly until everything is covered in the syrup mixture. Tip: Mix the dry ingredients together before adding them to the syrup mixture.
Step 3: Spread the mixture evenly and firmly into the prepared tin, this is to help prevent the flapjacks from falling apart when baked.
Step 4: Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 - 25 or until baked and golden brown in colour. Tip: Do not overbake.
Step 5: Remove from the oven to cool a little before partially slicing the top into bars. Once cooled completely, you can then go ahead and slice each bar all the way through.
Step 6: Now that the flapjacks have cooled completely, you can complete the process of slicing them into Flapjack Bars. They will feel soft and chewy and should not fall apart.
Storage
Room Temperature: Keep in an airtight container with a sheet of baking parchment wrapped around them, to help keep them moist and chewy.
Fridge/Freezer: Although I haven't kept them in the fridge or tried to freeze them, I imagine it may work if you wrap them individually, and place them in a suitable container before freezing. If this is something you've tried, please let me know.
Baker's Tips
- Tip 1: It helps to give the dry ingredients a little mix before adding them to the melted butter and syrup mixture
- Tip 2: Take care when baking with children, the mixture will still be hot and very sticky.
- Tip 3: Partially slice while still warm, only slice all the way through when cooled completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Over boiling the sugar, butter, and syrup, and over baking are a few possible reasons for flapjacks being hard and not chewy. Adding flour helps make them chewy and soft. If they do turn hard, leave them in the open air for a few hours to help soften them a little.
Use porridge Oats rather than Jumbo Oats. Slicing them into bars while still warm can often cause them to fall apart. Only partially slice them before they begin to cool. Slice through when completely cold.
More Child Friendly Recipes You May Like To Try
After making this recipe please let me know how you got on by leaving a comment below. Especially if you used alternative ingredients. Subscribe to my mailing list to keep in touch.
Recipe
Easy Chewy Flapjack Recipe
Equipment
- 1 x 8 inch square Cake tin
- Baking Parchment
Ingredients
- 170 g butter
- 115 g soft brown sugar or demerara sugar
- 55 g golden syrup
- 50 g Plain Flour
- Pinch of salt
- 225 g Porridge Oats not jumbo oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c conventional oven
- Grease and line the base and sides of an 8″ square loose bottomed cake tin with baking parchment. This will make it much easier to lift out the baked Flapjacks.
- Melt the butter, sugar, and syrup in a large pan over medium heat until all the sugar and butter have melted. TIP: Do not boil the mixture or your flapjacks may turn out hard and difficult to eat.170 g butter, 115 g soft brown sugar or demerara sugar, 55 g golden syrup
- Take the pan off the heat and add the flour, salt, and oats. Mix thoroughly until everything is covered in the syrup mixture.50 g Plain Flour, Pinch of salt, 225 g Porridge Oats
- Spread the mixture evenly and firmly into the prepared tin, this is to help prevent the flapjacks from falling apart when baked.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 - 25 or until baked and golden brown in colour.
- Remove from the oven to cool a little before partially slicing the top into bars. Once cooled completely, you can then go ahead and slice each bar all the way through.
- Now that the flapjacks have cooled completely, you can complete the process of slicing them into Flapjack Bars. They will feel soft and chewy and should not fall apart.
- Keep in an airtight container with a sheet of baking parchment wrapped around them, to help keep them moist and chewy.
Your Private Notes
Notes
Nutrition
Note: Recipes are tested using Metric only. The provided nutrition information is an estimate for the entire recipe, the calorie accuracy nutritional facts, unit and portion conversion are calculated by a third party app. and are not guaranteed.
Caroline Holley
What recipe has no weight or measures for the ingredients!!
Lynn
Hi Caroline. Thanks for commenting. The full list of ingredients, including weights and measurements are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. I mention this in the Ingredients Overview.
If you want to bypass the step by step instructions you can click the 'Jump to Recipe' button at the top of the post which will take you straight to the recipe card.
Marie
Always had difficulty making simple flapjacks. They always seem to require more cooking, or break up when cutting even when cold. Always had to adapt the timings and amount of oats added. However!!!! At last!!! This recipe works from beginning to end, and as its name, easy and chewy. (I added dessicated coconut and ginger to the overall weight of the ingredients) Thank you so much - another recipe you have given which has brought much pleasure!
Lynn
Thank you Marie. I am so pleased you like the recipe. I love the idea of adding desiccated coconut and ginger, what a lovely flavour combination.