Easy Chewy Flapjacks Recipe - Traditional Home Baking (2024)

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These soft and chewy flapjacks are delicious oat bars (similar to American granola bars) that won't fall apart. This easy recipe only calls for melted butter, sugar, syrup, porridge oats and a little flour.

Easy Chewy Flapjacks Recipe - Traditional Home Baking (1)

I love this flapjack recipe, I've made it a few times. Adding a little flour to the mixture helps your flapjacks turn out soft and chewy, rather than hard and brittle as they sometimes can.

Once you've mastered this recipe and learned how to make Soft Chewy Flapjacks, you can add just about anything you like to customize these granola bars.

You can add chocolate chips, nuts, or mixed dried fruits like in this Fruity Flapjack recipe. If Apricots are your favourite dried fruit snack, try this Apricot Flapjack recipe.

These Coconut Chocolate Squares have a very similar texture to Flapjacks, but without the golden syrup. They have added coconut in the base with a thick topping of firm chocolate that slices easily when set.

How to make Soft and Chewy Flapjacks

To make basic flapjacks, start by greasing and lining the base and sides of an 8" square loose bottomed baking tin with baking parchment. The baking parchment is essential as it makes it easier to lift the flapjacks out of the tin once they have cooled.

If you don't have an 8" square tin, use one of a similar volume in size eg 8 x 8 = 64 square inches. 9" round cake tin is a good, readily available substitute.

  • Easy Chewy Flapjacks Recipe - Traditional Home Baking (2)
  • Easy Chewy Flapjacks Recipe - Traditional Home Baking (3)

Melt the butter, sugar, and syrup in a large pan over a very gentle heat until all the sugar and butter have melted. DO NOT BOIL THE MIXTURE. This will turn the sugar into a caramel, which is what makes many flapjacks turn out hard and difficult to eat.

Add the flour, salt, and oats. Mix thoroughly until everything is covered in the syrup mixture. It helps to give the dry ingredients a little mix before adding to the syrup.

Easy Chewy Flapjacks Recipe - Traditional Home Baking (4)

Spread the mixture evenly and firmly into the prepared tin. The mixture is a little runny, but you will still need to press the mixture down firmly as this will help prevent the flapjacks from falling apart after baking.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until baked and golden brown in colour.

Easy Chewy Flapjacks Recipe - Traditional Home Baking (5)

Remove from the oven. Leave to cool a little before scoring the top into bars. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. You need these oat bars to set and cool completely before doing that.

The mixture will still be hot and very sticky, so take care, especially when baking with children.

Easy Chewy Flapjacks Recipe - Traditional Home Baking (6)

Now that the flapjacks have cooled completely, you can complete the process of slicing them into bars. They will feel soft and chewy, and will not fall apart. The perfect simple granola bar recipe is within your reach!

Keep in an airtight container with a sheet of baking parchment wrapped around them, to help keep them moist and chewy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my Flapjacks Fall Apart?

There could be many reasons why your flapjacks may fall apart after baking. I find using Porridge Oats rather than whole jumbo oats results in a better product.

Slicing them into bars while still warm can often cause them to fall apart. Instead, if you partially score them and then pop them in the fridge, this will speed up the cooling process and result in solid granola bars.

Packing the mixture down firmly in the baking tin before baking also helps. This removes the possibility of any air being trapped in between the oats, causing them to fall apart.

Finally, I know I'm probably stating the obvious, but I have to ask: did you weigh the ingredients correctly? Using improper amounts can result in the oat bars not setting up correctly.

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Why are my Flapjacks Hard?

Over-boiling the sugar, butter and syrup, is one possible reason for flapjacks being so hard. Simmering the butter-sugar-syrup mixture on low heat is better.

Adding flour helps make them chewy and soft. If you missed the flour, that could be the reason.

If they do turn hard, leave them in the open air for a few hours to help soften them a little. TIP: You can also store them with a slice of bread to keep them soft, or to help soften hard oat bars.

Should Flapjacks be Soft when they come out of the Oven?

Flapjacks will appear to be soft when you first take them out of the oven. They are not underbaked, so don't worry about that. They will firm up but still have a deliciously chewy texture, once they have cooled down.

Should I cut Flapjack Hot or Cold?

You should ideally wait until the flapjacks have cooled down completely before you slice them. But as mentioned above, you can score the top of the flapjacks when they have cooked a little, but wait until they have cooled completely before slicing the flapjack bars all the way through.

Easy Chewy Flapjacks Recipe - Traditional Home Baking (8)

Easy Flapjack Recipe

Lynn Hill

Soft and chewy flapjacks that won't fall apart. An easy Flapjack recipe of melted butter, sugar, syrup, porridge oats and a little flour.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Snack

Cuisine British

Servings 10

Calories 285 kcal

Equipment

  • Baking Parchment

INGREDIENTS

  • 170 grams butter
  • 115 grams soft brown sugar or demerara sugar
  • 55 grams golden syrup
  • 225 grams Porridge Oats not jumbo oats
  • 50 grams plain flour
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180c conventional oven

  • Grease and line the base and sides of an 8 inch square loose bottomed baking tin with baking parchment. The baking parchment is essential as it makes it easier to lift the flapjacks out of the tin once they have cooled.

  • If you don’t have an 8 inch square tin, use one of a similar volume in size eg 8 x 8 = 64 square inches. I was never good at maths, so I hope you get the idea.

  • Melt the butter, sugar, and syrup in a large pan over a very gentle heat until all the sugar and butter have melted. DO NOT BOIL THE MIXTURE. This is most likely the reason why some flapjacks turn out hard and difficult to eat.

  • Add the flour, salt, and oats. Mix thoroughly until everything is covered in the syrup mixture. It helps to give the dry ingredients a little mix before adding to the syrup.

  • Spread the mixture evenly and firmly into the prepared tin. The mixture is a little runny, but you will still need to press the mixture down firmly as this will help prevent the flapjacks from falling apart after baking.

  • Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until baked and golden brown in colour.

  • Remove from the oven. Leave to cool a little before partially slicing the top into bars. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. You need the flapjacks to set and cool completely before doing that.

  • The mixture will still be hot and very sticky, so take care, especially when baking with children.

  • Now that the flapjacks have cooled completely, you can complete to process of slicing them into 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.

Notes

WHY DO MY FLAPJACKS FALL APART?

  • There could be many reasons why your flapjacks may fall apart after baking. I find using Porridge Oats rather than whole jumbo oats are better.
  • Slicing them into bars while still warm can often cause them to fall apart. If you partially slice them and pop them in the fridge, this will speed up the cooling process.
  • I know I’m probably stating the obvious, but did you weight the ingredients correctly?
  • Packing the mixture down firmly in the baking tin before baking also helps. This removes the possibility of any air being trapped in between the oats, causing them to fall apart.

WHY ARE MY FLAPJACKS SO HARD?

  • Over boiling the sugar, butter and syrup, is one possible reason for flapjacks being so hard. Simmering the butter, sugar, syrup mixture on low heat is better.
  • Adding flour helps make them chewy and soft. If you missed the flour out, that could be the reason.
  • If they do turn hard, leave them in the open air for a few hours to help soften them a little.

SHOULD I CUT FLAPJACK HOT OR COLD?

You should ideally wait until the flapjacks have cooled down completely before you slice them. But as mentioned above, you can score the top of the flapjacks when they have cooked a little, but wait until they have cooled completely before slicing the flapjack bars all the way through.

SHOULD FLAPJACKS BE SOFT WHEN THEY COME OUT OF THE OVEN?

Flapjacks will appear to be soft when you first take them out of the oven. They are not underbaked, so don't worry about that. They will firm up but still have a deliciously chewy texture, once they have cooled down.

Keyword Flapjacks, oats, soft and chewy

Easy Chewy Flapjacks Recipe - Traditional Home Baking (2024)

FAQs

Why is my flapjack not chewy? ›

Golden syrup is the chewiness activator in a flapjack recipe, so if you want extremely chewy results, add an extra half a tablespoon to this recipe, with 5g less caster sugar. When the flapjacks are pale golden and still very soft to the touch, remove them from the oven.

What is the American equivalent of flapjack? ›

In the US, a flapjack is a less common way of saying "pancake"; in the UK, it's a chewy, sweet granola bar.

How to stop flapjacks from falling apart? ›

Sprinkle with a tiny bit of sea salt. 4 Spread the mixture out, pressing it out evenly with the back of the spoon. 5 Bake for 25 minutes until golden. After five minutes cooling, press the flapjacks with something heavy and flat (this compresses them and stops them falling apart).

What happens if you put too much syrup in flapjacks? ›

For me, too much golden syrup makes them hard to bite through and dunking is simply not an option with flapjacks. Golden syrup can also make flapjacks sickly sweet. Cooking times and oven temperature are important.

Why are my flapjacks rubbery? ›

If gluten is over-mixed it becomes tough, rubbery, and unappetizing. Don't worry about the lumps; they'll disappear when you cook your flapjacks!

Why do my homemade flapjacks fall apart? ›

Why do my homemade flapjacks fall apart? This can happen if you overcook or undercook your flapjacks. When you overcook a flapjack, the golden syrup dries out and it becomes crumbly. An undercooked flapjack will have a raw doughy texture that doesn't hold its shape.

What do British people call flapjacks? ›

British flapjacks (also called cereal bars, oat bars, or oat slices) are golden oat-packed, hand-held triangles, often enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. They're commonly regarded as the chewy-crunchy ancestor of granola bars.

What does flapjack mean in British slang? ›

While flapjacks is an informal nickname for pancakes, some people may use the terms hotcakes and griddlecakes to refer to specific types of pancakes. In the UK, the word flapjack refers to something entirely different—a baked good made from oats that resembles a granola bar.

What do Southerners call pancakes? ›

In the South, pancakes are interchangeably called hotcakes, griddlecakes, and flapjacks, though British flapjacks are made with rolled oats cooked in the oven. In the U.S., pancakes are made with flour, eggs, butter, and milk, and cooked on a griddle or frying pan to form leavened flat cakes.

Should you cut flapjacks hot or cold? ›

just made flapjacks for the first time , they've just come out of the oven - when do I cut it up, now that it's still soft or do I wait until it's cooled down? mark them with a sharp knife but do not cut till really cold, as they'll crumble up.

How to make flapjacks hold together? ›

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.

How do you know when flapjacks are done? ›

Press evenly into the baking tray and bake on a high shelf in the oven for 15 minutes. The flapjack will still feel soft. Leave to cool in the tray for 5 minutes and then lift the baking paper up and out of the tray to cool completely. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Why is my flapjack greasy on the bottom? ›

Don't let the butter bubble, it should all just be warm and gooey. Add flour/oatmeal. (To make the oatmeal I just put a large handful of oats into my pestle and mortar and grind them for a minute.) This stops the finished flapjack being too greasy.

Can I rebake flapjack? ›

The second batch when they crumbled I thought it was because of me adding a bit of water so rebaked them. To make them a bit more gooey add more syrup only. Also what type of oven are you using, if it is a fan then make sure you lower the temperature and possibly give less cooking time. Hope this helps.

Why are my flapjacks too crunchy? ›

The larger "jumbo" (old fashioned) oats tend to give a crumblier flapjack as they don't seem to bind so well. If the mixture continues to be crumbly then you may like to increase slightly the amount of golden syrup in the mixture.

Why is my flapjack so crunchy? ›

There are two styles of flapjacks, chewy and crispy, and each style has their own fans. The thing most likely to determine the texture of the flapjacks is the baking - slightly underbaked flapjacks will come out on the chewy side and those baked for longer will be crisper.

Should flapjacks be soft when cooked? ›

For me the perfect flapjack is a chewy one, with slightly crunchy edges. If you're a fan of more crunchy flapjack, just cook for slightly longer than the recipe says.

How do you fix hard flapjacks? ›

More fat (butter) is the answer. I use gluten free oats as some of my children are Coeliac and I always had problems with flapjacks being far too hard. I found that increasing the amount of butter over the recipe amount made a lot of difference...

How often should you water flapjacks? ›

How often to water your Flapjacks. Flapjacks needs 0.8 cups of water every 12 days when it doesn't get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5.0" pot.

References

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