I take flapjacks very seriously. I have spent the past 6 years or so trying every recipe I stumbled upon with very varied results.
Either too dry, too plain, too sweet, too crumbly, too dull, too greasy, too sticky (never thought that would be a problem as I love ‘em gooey). Anyway, I’m rambling. The search is over. This is the one.
Best Flapjack Recipe in the Whole Wide World.
Ever.
225g/8oz dried dates (maybe also try prunes, apricots or whatever you have in)
175g/6oz Butter (Marg works fine too)
3 tbsp Golden Syrup (honey is also nice, tastes less sweet and more ‘wholesome’)
3oz Sugar – Muscavado is best but any sugar is just fine.
12oz Oats – Use rolled, porridge, whatever you have – I’ve even made it with some muesli that had been lingering in the cupboard too long
As a ‘Chefs Treat’ try scooping the crumbs up that are left on your counter after making these and sprinkle them over a bowl of rich vanilla ice cream. Just heavenly…
EDIT: Just to say this post is getting a crazy amount of hits from Google from folk all over the world. If you’re popping in please stop & say Hi!
Shared with TALU
ooh that sounds and looks devine and im sure i can even smell it!! Will definately try this recipe!! :)
oooh my DD has been making humungous amounts of flapjacks most weekends and its yummy but she tops it with 2 large bars of chocolate mixed with condensed milk and amazingly its not too sweet, and I like the idea of using honey instead of syrup..will have to tell her x
Well I didn’t know those were called flapjacks. Flapjacks here means pancakes. We call these fruit bars. I love them! My mom has made them before with apricots, apples, you name it. I will have to give your recipe a go. Thanks for sharing.
These look delicious! Here I was expecting pancakes (yup, I’m from the States), but your flapjacks look lovely!So…golden syrup. Is that like maple syrup or agave syrup?
Oh so yummy. I've just gotten back to the US after living in England for a year, and this will be a perfect reminder :)@Anna – golden syrup is basically pure liquid sugar. You can substitute corn syrup, light (!) molasses, or honey, but obviously the taste will be a little bit different in each case.
Great idea to put the fruit in the middle. I had some apricots, but not many, so I added some apricot jam and reduced the sugar slightly in the oat mix. Used a mixture of honey and golden syrup. Results – crumbly but squidgy. May have made them a little thick!BTW, golden syrup is actually a light treacle and so is sweeter than sugar. If you are using liquid sugar then you may want to add some dark treacle (molasses).
After numerous trips to the UK, I'm still looking for that perfect recipe. I'd love to try this one — but am handicapped with the conversions! Is there an American out there who knows what they are?
Since I married an american and am raising my children in america, I feel my children are missing out on my childhood staple – flapjacks! This recipe looks perfect – I haven't made it yet, but I'm looking forward to what looks like the perfect combination of delicious and nutritious!
What on earth do you mean by 'stash' – now come on Janie, it's going to be impossible to stash something as nice as this! I am currently making a batch to compliment my chocolate fountain business – I have a wedding fayre on Sunday and know that these will be a massive help. I don't have the dates so tried sultana's with 1 and a half banana and a bit of rum squashed in! Off to prepare them now – thanks so much. Chris
Got some of these in the oven now – looking forward to them coming out! Thanks for the recipe
can report – really tasty! thanks
I have spent the last 2 weekends trying to get flapjacks a go. First batch, too crumbly, second no sweetness. I am going to give this recipe ago and see. I am hoping for the best. Sounds good, either way. Thanks
I thought this sounded good so tried it today. Used apricots as I didn't have any dates. Don't know if this was the probeelm as they really didn't want to go 'gooey'…the flapjack just fell apart when i tried to cut it, leaving me just with a mass of crumbs. Really diappointing!
Stopping by to say hi since I came by via Google! I don't know exactly what led me to think "I need to search for a flapjack recipe right now" but I did! I think the chain of mental events was something like searching for some other recipe, finding something unrelated, finding a mention of Lyle's Golden Syrup, which brought me back to my time in the UK (I'm American) and then, voila, looking for flapjacks. I'll have to give this a shot!
I'm English and living in Barcelona and miss my flapjacks. I've just made these and they are yummy. I used dates and instead of putting them in the middle I just mixed them in with the oats which has added to the softness. I didn't have golden syrup (as you can't buy it here..grrr) so just used sugar. I think they may have been gooier if I'd used the syrup.Thanks for such a great recipe!
Very tasty, although I used oatmeal and they were very soft. The mixture was quite runny although I followed the quantities exactly. The 25 minute batch had better shape than the 20 minute batch. The dates are a worthwhile addition.
I have made this recipe (plain for my lot) several times. great. I add a bit of flour, which keeps the final result slightly soft, and better for delicate teeth!!! have shared this wonderful recipe post on my farm FB page http://www.facebook/dovefarm
Well, they are nice! I don’t know about them being the best I’ve ever had though. I wish they were a bit sticker and crisper – I suspect a little more syrup is needed. Thanks though! I’ll keep looking.
I made these this week, and they were amazing. I love date slices and these were like a cross between those and flapjacks. I’m going to keep this as flapjack recipe #1 in my kitchen! Thanks very much for sharing it.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed them Zoe! xx
What about with nuts? Gonna try your recipe now but in the end I want to find a way of getting crunchy nuts & seeds in there without it falling apart. Flapjack’s such a winner – without it I waste who knows how much money on nasty chocolate bars day in day out
Hmm, nice. Let us know what you come up with!
Wow oh wow oh wow. This is a keeper and the only flapjack recipe I will ever use. The perfect combination of crunch, chewiness, sweetness and datiness (sorry I know that’s not a word). Thanks so much for sharing
Debbie, you are more than welcome! It makes me so pleased when other people catch this flapjack bug! Enjoy! :o)
OK, Janie, I came right over like the obedient bloggy friend that I am when you told me you had the best flapjack recipe. And then I read dates and oats and I was all like “ewwwww!” But I hung in till the end and saw you were most definitely NOT talking about PANCAKES, as I thought you were, but fruit bars or something, and then all was right with the world once again. Whew! Thanks for linking up with the TALU! And ps, these look great.
You’re not the first ‘over-the-pond-dweller’ to have made that leap. But hang on, don’t you reside on UK shores these days?
Anyway, call this whatever you fancy. It won’t be upset or disturbed, and will still taste like a little piece of heaven dancing on your taste buds.
I promise :)
Stopping by from TALU and these look amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will pin this and hope to make them sometime soon :)
Hi Meredith, I hope you enjoy them! Thanks for the pin :)
Janie x
Yeah, we think of flapjacks as pancakes, too. But these look yummy. Have a wonderful TALU Tuesday!
Hello! Sorry for the international confusion! and thanks for stopping by :)
Janie x
I was also expecting pancakes! You learn something new every day! :) Stopping in from TALU!
Hi Jen, thanks for stopping by! LOVE the name of your blog :)
Janie x
Sounds great! I might just have to try it!
Saying hi from TALU. =)
Hey Kerry, I hope you love them :) Thanks for popping by!
Janie x
Hello. Stopping in via the #TALU. Gotta say, like Jen above, you had me confused for a minute there too, as Flapjacks are Pancakes where I come from. :) These do look/sound good though, especially with some apricot mixed in. I’ve never used dates in anything with date nut bread so far, so this would be a great next thing to try with them.
Hi Chris! The dates are amazing in this recipe, sweet sticky and yet wholesome. I hope you love them!
Janie x
Just to tell you how out of the loop I am – I always thought flap jacks were pancakes! Thanks for the knowledge. I will have to try out this recipe some time. It looks yummy.
Hi Debbie, nice to meet you! Don’t worry, it seems I’ve confuddled everyone with this recipe, it must a UK/US thing!
Thanks for visiting
Janie x
Hello! Came over from the TALU….and now I’m hungry. :-D
Interesting post. :-D
Hey Kiril, shame I can’t pass you some flapjacks through the screen! Thanks for stopping by
Janie x
I was looking forward to the best pancake recipe ever. Still looking, but these look like gooey deliciousness. I would hope they are sweet enough so as to keep me from eating more than one in a sitting. I came here by way of Homestead Revival’s Barn Hop.
Hi Langela, sorry to disappoint re the flapjack/pancake fiasco – I’m going to have to find the best ever pancake recipe and post that here for all my American visitors! However, thank you for stopping by, it was lovely to meet you :)
Janie x
Hello, I m french but living in cambridge UK, I googled flapjack recipe not too sweet, and found yours….It´s in the oven!
Bonsoir Claire! I hope you love it! Tell me you do! Is it the best flapjack ever???
No pressure :)
Janie x
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Hi,
I was looking for a great flapjack recipe cos my manager has put me down for baking/selling treats in aid of Red Nose Day 2013…..I will
will try this and hopefully it will turn out as good as it sounds :-))
Oh, they’ll go down a storm Silke! I hope you get to scoff lots of them yourself :)
my daughters were pestering me to make flapjacks, i found you, from pinterest! i knew dates wouldnt go down well, so i spread a nice layer of applesauce in the middle and added a nice big pinch of cinnamon. and added a few sultanas to the top half of the mix ohhhhhh devine! You never said they were magical disappearing flapjacks though! so we never got to stash any! Tomorrow i have promised more, i shall make a strawberry compote for the filling i think, thank you so much, we love them!
Hehe, yep they are pretty magical!
Jonny’s kids were asked if they liked dates after devouring 1/2 a batch of these. They both replied ‘no’.
Think again kids :)
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment Fi
Janie x
ok i caved, we had 2 boxes of dates (gifted) sitting, so i took your advice, LOVED them, and so did everyone else, these are going to be a firm favourite in our house! so anyone who says they dont like dates?? try them in this, its delicious!
YAY!!! Way to go! Dates sound real boring don’t they? But they sure don’t taste it :)
I’m so glad your family has a new taste to enjoy!
Janie x
They do sound dull until you realise they are the important part of sticky toffee pudding MMMMMM. A kind soul recommended this recipe to me and its in the oven at the moment. Crossing fingers!
Uncross fingers Katie, sit back and indulge!
Janie x
i’m now a woman obsessed =]
after i finished the date batch, i was putting my ingredients away. I spied a jar of mincemeat i had made and not used late october last year. You know where this is going! Too hot to eat just yet but i challenge you to find a more devine smell, perhaps more suited to christmas, but on this cold and snowy day in Scotland? it smells delicous
Genius! OMG I bet they are gonna be amazing!
Janie x
Love the idea of dates in the flapjacks (or prunes or apricots… or a mixture of all of them!). They end up looking really nice too when sliced. It reminds me of this Tunisian cake I love with dates and rosewater.
I must admit – my favourite flapjack to date usually has nutmeg, ginger and a bit of cinnamon inside. The spice really makes them taste SO good (not really a traditional flapjack anymore then though!) – I’m always up for trying new things though… must give these a go, I know my wife would love them :)
Hey Charles, thanks for stopping by! If you do give them a go, do let me know what you think
Janie x
Just baked my 6th batch using this recipe. Tried the dates, raisins are really good too, try spreading a thin layer of your favourite jam in as the filling, (not too thick or they seperate) and today is the second time I have made choc chip flapjacks. Just ignored the layers and stir in as many choc chips as you feel. (Let the oats, syrup, butter, sugar mixture cool for a while first though, my first attempt – the choc chips all melted! Still tasted really good though!)
Wow! You’re seriously addicted Andy! Love the chocolate chip idea, I feel a baking urge coming on!
Janie x
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These look seriously good. I have a step-daughter who has recently decided that she will eat a granola bar for breakfast after years of sugary cereal. The ones on sale are stupidly expensive so I’m going to try her on these. My only problem is that I love flapjacks too much so will have to find an airtight tin and a high shelf!
Ooh, good luck with that one Jan, I have zero self control around them!
Thank you for visiting
Janie x
Having tasted your delicious flapjacks this weekend I can confirm that they are the best EVER. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, I can’t wait to cook them myself. x
Hehe, thank you Jan :)
Don’t forget they’re practically a superfood with all that fruit in too! So lovely to catch up with you all, see you next year if not before!
Janie x
These really are great flapjacks! I made them with apricots for a sports club event and they went down really well. I have tried lots of different recipes for flapjack in the past, and found them either too hard, crumbly, sweet or greasy. This will now be my only recipe! I look forward to trying other variations. Anyone tried not layering the mixture but stirring in some mini marshmallows?
Thank you!
That’s music to my ears Penny! So glad you found us.
The marshmallows sounds interesting, do let us know if it works out :)
Janie x
Yummy those flapjacks were divine
Cheers
So glad you enjoyed them Courtney! ;)
Janie x
Delicious! Truly wonderful!
I made these flapjacks with organic apricots, prunes, honey and muscovado sugar!
Onto the second batch now after success all round!
Thank you!
Fantastic Lucy and thank you so much for taking the time to let me know too ;)
Think I may have to go and knock up a batch now too!
Janie x
Fantastic! I did mine with apricots and it was amazing , kids loved it and they are now thinking up there own fruit fillings! This is a keeper , thank you.
Sharon x
Derbyshire uk
Awesome! You’ve made me a happy girl Sharon ;)
Here’s to many years of happy, yummy flapjacks!
Janie x
Just made this again it’s becoming a favourite now, the recipe is in my head. I’m sure you cake makers will know this but the first couple of times I made this flapjack (dates every time) I had great difficulty spreading the dates evenly and had parts without dates and other bits with lots of dates. Tonight I spread them with 2 forks back to back and a perfectly even layer. (I’m still a newby with cakes the cooking of)
Glad you figured out a way to make them behave Johnny!
However, when I heat cook them up, they go really squishy and soft and spread super easily. You could try a little more liquid and a little longer on the heat?
So glad you’re still loving them :)
Janie x
Made this flapjacks last weekend and they were fantastic, I am not a fan of dates but they make the flapjack extra gooey . I coated them with a layer of chocolate once cooled too. Tastes so good I made then again today. Thanks for posting a great recipie that’s so easy to do and über tasty.
Awesome Kerrie! I like how you went for the double decadence of adding chocolate, good on ya!
Janie x
I love these, I don’t bother spreading the date mixture in the middle (I actually usually use prunes) just mix it with the rest of the ingredients and add seeds- sunflower, pumpkin and sesame. Very, very, very good. Thank you!
Ooh, nice idea Vicki and a time saver too! Thank you for taking the time to leave me a comment :)
Janie x
Lovely thank you :)
You are welcome :)
Janie x
Made the flapjacks today lovely my son said the best ever.
Iused soft brown sugar and margarine not butter and covered them in dark chocolate.
Thanks again.
Dark chocolate hmm? I may have to give that a try! :)
Janie x