Us Scots love some oats. Of course there’s porridge, everyone’s favourite winter warmer to set you up on a dreich day. And oatcakes which our youngest has recently found a fondness for; dry, with no butter, cheese or chutney – we’ll introduce him to that luxury in time. But when it comes to a sweet oat treat, there’s nothing that can top Flapjack.
Want new recipes direct to your email?
Subscribe to get our latest recipes, tips & tricks by email.
The perfect Flapjack is something that can spark great debate. Crunchy or chewy? That is the question. And my answer? It’s got to be chewy. When I want a sweet filling treat, I want one that isn’t going to break my teeth and take the enjoyment of it’s entirety away from me.
For a real, proper Flapjack, golden syrup is a must. There’s no denying it. You could try your hands at a honey or maple syrup substitute but it just now the same. If our Golden Syrup Cake wasn’t enough for you to invest in a tin of the liquid gold, Flapjack should be!
The ingredients & recipe for the perfect chewy flapjack is of course of importance but the real secret is actually within the baking. Lucky for us though, Granny has already done all the hard work and come up with a fool-proof flapjack recipe which never fails to please (and induce a much needed sugar-high energy boost).
Granny’s Top Tips
♥ For the perfectly chewy flapjack, you bake it for less time than you’d think. It will come out the oven not looking ready but it will continue to firm up as it cools, leaving a lovely chewy finish. If you prefer a crunchy flapjack, simply bake for a little longer.
Flapjack
Ingredients
- 300 g Butter
- 180 g Golden Syrup
- 200 g Light Soft Brown Sugar
- 400 g Porridge Oats
- ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180°c (160°c for a fan-assisted oven) and line a 30x20cm baking tray
with tin foil and grease generously with butter. Set aside.
- In a large pan, warm the butter, golden syrup and sugar - stirring regularly - until melted together.
- In a large bowl, lightly mix the oats and cinnamon before adding the melted mixture and stirring until all the oats are covered.
- Transfer the mixture to your pre-lined/greased tray and smooth the mixture into the corners.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the middle still has a "slight wobble".
- Leave to cool completely in the tray (ideally overnight) before removing and cutting into your desired sized slices.
with tin foil and grease generously with butter. Set aside.
jenny walters says
September 13, 2017 at 9:13 pmA good chewy middle with crisp edges is my absolute flapjack fave, I don’t think there are many better sweet treats. This recipe looks blinkin lovely. I will have to bake some soon!
Amy says
September 14, 2017 at 9:59 pmThanks for commenting, Jenny. I’m a sucker for a crispy edge too! Can’t say I’m disappointed by the kids choosing the middle slices and leaving the edges for me :)
Julie McPherson says
September 14, 2017 at 10:47 amThese flapjacks look fabulous, a brilliant after school treat. Commenting as BritMums Baking Round-up Editor. :)
Amy says
September 14, 2017 at 10:01 pmMost definitely, Julie! I actually found myself making another tray this afternoon – at my 5 year old’s instructions(!) just so there was more for when he got home from school :)
Iris says
September 27, 2017 at 6:50 amDefinitely going to make these as my daughter has a wheat problem, can I add coconut or fruit to the mixture?
Demelza Whyte says
March 6, 2018 at 9:16 pmDo I need to cover overnight?
Daniel says
March 10, 2018 at 1:30 amI grew up knowing this as “Bird Seed Pie” at primary school. For over 40 years I have asked people if they knew how to make it, but no-one had ever heard of “Bird Seed Pie”… until last week when an school friend said “Oh, you mean flapjack?”
All is right with the world again :)
Fiona says
March 10, 2018 at 3:36 pmIt’s lovely but it’s would say don’t use tin foil. I used it and greased but still stuck a lot. Baking parchment a recommendation. But nice flapjacks
Dan says
March 10, 2018 at 5:18 pmAbsolutely agree. Flapjack was delicious, but the tin foil was a disaster.
Jay says
March 21, 2018 at 4:09 pmLine the tin with FOIL!! Ridiculous, stuck horribly to underside, greased well also!! Gave up picking foil off, through away, wasted money & time. Stupid methodology. Baking paper should be used.
Bee says
September 13, 2018 at 8:04 amNo need for the stress and aggression, Jay. Foil worked absolutely fine for me. I coated it with 1 cal spray. The best flapjack recipe I’ve had so far! Thanks, Baking with Granny x
lissie says
April 5, 2019 at 11:22 ami am currently trying to follow mary berry way from her cookbook guide. the first batch turned out well actually, except from they stuck but i didn’t have any baking paper so i just buttered the tin they were in, it wasn’t;t that bad, got 4 out of 9 and the others were still edible just crumbly and broken up. i am baking for a charity so i want them to be nicely presented. doing my second batch today with baking paper as i got some last night! fingers crossed. they are in the oven at the moment…
Maggie says
May 6, 2018 at 5:42 pmDoes it work with greaseproof paper?
Gemma says
July 24, 2018 at 7:40 amYes x
Jenna says
June 18, 2018 at 12:26 pmTotally agree with the tin foil, it sticks and parchment isn’t much better. If you can get to ikea they sell silicone liners which are amazing, I think mine was about £1.80 and I use it for everything, perfect for flapjack! X
Gemma says
July 24, 2018 at 7:39 amThis is by far the best flapjack recipe ive found thankyou for sharing it xx
JILL DUCKER says
September 5, 2018 at 1:37 pmOmg! I’ve tried lots of different recipes inc Jamie and BBC ( my go to recipe sites) and I have to say this is by far the best thank you
Jill says
September 5, 2018 at 1:53 pmPs. Having read previous comments I used parchment paper. Perfect
Kathleen says
September 16, 2018 at 6:21 pmOh dear, I just greased a non stick baking tray. Hope it comes out of the tin ok
Bob says
October 15, 2018 at 6:07 pmTop tip, do NOT line the tin with foil.
Fay Pickard says
February 12, 2019 at 8:11 amAny comments on freezing and how long they will last for?
Gillian Taylor says
February 24, 2019 at 8:50 pmI made this today and they were much too gooey and the tin foil was a disaster.
HELP!!!!!!
Francesca says
March 12, 2019 at 5:00 pmI’ve tried these twice and so far they have never stuck together in the middle, they’ve just crumbled. The edges were fine though but what am I doing wrong? I followed the recipe…
Courtney says
March 14, 2019 at 9:22 pmYou could possibly try making the later thinner so the middle cooks quicker too? It worked for me
Yeah
Berna says
March 24, 2019 at 11:02 amJust made these flapjacks, and i have to say, i love them!! I’ll be keeping this recipe, thank you!!
Sheila says
March 28, 2019 at 11:28 pmThis recipe is delicious! It is perhaps sacrilegious to say that my family are not huge flapjack fans — too hard, too soft, too sweet… However, with the huge number of bake sales that I seem to be saddled with lately I decided I needed an easy(ish) popular (with most) bake to take along, so needed to add flapjacks to my repertoire. My husband & daughter were jostling each other out of the way to get to the pan to get the last bits out.
I did not use foil — used parchment paper, and it worked perfect, no butter needed. I did not have light brown sugar on hand, so used a combination of dark brown & golden caster, both of which I did have on hand, about 50/50. I also doubled the recipe (not a problem with this recipe) and spread 1/2 of mixture out in pan, sprinkled over some (not a lot) chocolate chips, then spread the remainder of the mixture over that. Once it was all cooked and cooled a bit I melted some chocolate and drizzled over the top (not a lot). Was trying to achieve the same effect of the fancy flapjacks that I have bought now & then at M&S. These are better.
So, thanks for the delicious recipe, and I’m glad that I was very particular about which recipe I eventually decided to try. I looked at ingredients and reviews, and landed on yours — so glad that I did, as this recipe is a keeper.
Gaynor says
April 8, 2019 at 2:35 pmToday is the third time I’ve used this recipe and they are in the oven as I write. They smell lovely! I add a bit more syrup as we like them chewy. Tried non-stick greaseproof paper instead of tin foil as both lots done before stuck!
barbara wilson says
April 13, 2019 at 7:04 pmCan it be softened as mine is too hard ? Lol