Chocolate Flapjacks

Name: Chocolate Flapjacks
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 250 g oats; 130 g butter (plus extra for greasing); 125 g soft brown sugar; 6 tbsp golden syrup; 100 g dark chocolate

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If you are looking for a simple, and delicious, treat to bake with the kids then give these Chocolate Flapjacks a try. Super simple to put together and then just 30 minutes in the oven. Soft and chewy flapjacks (the way they should be), drizzled with dark chocolate are the perfect afternoon treat or packed up for a picnic.

Ten flapjacks on a sheet of baking paper next to a bowl of oats and a pot of melted chocolate.

Just 5 ingredients go in to making these chocolate flapjacks, and they couldn't be easier. Just melt the butter and sugar together and stir in the oats and golden syrup. Put it in a lined pan and bake for 30 minutes and then drizzle with chocolate. Kids can get involved with all the mixing and they will LOVE drizzling the chocolate on at the end, and then licking the spoon.

This is a great rainy day baking activity, as it uses ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboards. It's also easy to adapt with different additions like nuts and dried fruit, and different chocolate can be used for the drizzle at the end too.

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Why should you try it?
What you will need
Step by step
Add-ins
What to serve it with
Frequently Asked Questions
Extra tips
More dessert recipes
Recipe
Feedback

Why should you try it?

A super simple recipe to make with kids
Uses ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboard
Just 5 ingredients
Easy to adapt with different additions
Just one bowl and one pan to make them
They freeze well, which is great for portion control.

What you will need

Oats - We used rolled oats in our flapjacks, as we find that it holds together a lot better. However, you can use whole oats, you will just get a more crumbly texture.
Sugar - We used brown sugar as we find it has a real depth of flavour and gives the flapjacks that amazing golden colour. You could swap it for granulated sugar though, and it would be the same measurements.
Golden syrup - This recipe is pretty much the only thing we use golden syrup for, but it's still a cupboard staple. This adds the sweetness and holds the flapjacks together.
Butter - This is what helps to keep the flapjacks nice and soft. We used unsalted butter.
Chocolate - We used dark chocolate, as it has such a strong flavour so you don't have to use as much of it. We have some other options when it comes to chocolate though, and there is more on that below.

All the ingredients needed for this recipe with text overlay labels.

Step by step

One: Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Put the butter and sugar in a pan and melt over a gentle heat.

Two shot collage of a saucepan containing butter and sugar, before and after melting.

Two: Remove from the heat and stir in the the oats and golden syrup. Mix well.

Two shot collage of oats and golden syrup added to the pan, before and after mixing.

Three: Grease and line an 8x10" (200x250cm) baking tin. Add the mixture and press in to the tin, smoothing out. Bake for 30 minutes. It will feel soft when removed form the oven, but will harden on cooling.

Two shot collage of flapjack mixture in a baking tray, before and after cooking.

Four: Cut into slices while warm and drizzle with melted chocolate.

Two shot collage of cooked flapjacks cut into bars, before and after being drizzled with melted chocolate.

Add-ins

Flapjacks are so easy to adapt, which is one of the things we love about them. Use this as a base recipe and then feel free to add in all of your favourite ingredients. Although, maybe not all at the same time.

Some of our favourite add-ins are:

Chocolate - we have used dark chocolate, but white or milk works well too. Why not go for a flavoured chocolate like chocolate orange?
Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries or cherries are all great)
Nut butter (cashew is our favourite, but peanut and almond both taste good too)
Cocoa powder
Mashed banana

A flapjack with a random pattern of drizzled chocolate.

What to serve it with

We think these are the perfect afternoon treat with a hot drink. Why not try one of the ones we have on the blog - here are some of our favourites:

A stack of flapjacks on a wooden serving board.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are chocolate flapjacks healthy?

These are a pretty indulgent flapjack, with a generous amount of sugar and butter, so they are definitely a once-in-a-while kind of food in our house. But, they freeze well which means we can cut them in to sensible portions and store them away, rather than eating the whole pan, as tempting as that is.

Are these chocolate flapjacks chewy or crunchy?

These flapjacks are sticky, soft and chewy on the inside and a nice crisp coating - just the way flapjacks should be. If you wanted your flapjacks harder and crispier, then simply bake them for 5 minutes longer.

How to make vegan flapjacks

It's really easy to make these cinnamon flapjacks vegan. Simply swap the butter for your favourite dairy free alternative and then make sure that any toppings or add-ins are vegan too.

How to store flapjacks

These flapjacks will keep in an air tight container for around a week to 10 days. After that they will start to dry out. You can also freeze them, individually wrapped in cling film and then put in a ziplock freezer bag, and they will keep in the freezer for about a month. You can defrost them individually in the fridge.

Why are my flapjacks hard?

If your flapjacks turn out really hard, and not soft and chewy, then there are a couple of reasons. Firstly, you could have over boiled the sugar and butter. It needs to just simmer on a low heat to melt it together. If could also be because it was in the oven too long, or the oven was too hot. Every oven differs, so having an oven thermometer would help.

How do I know when the flapjacks are cooked?

The flapjacks will still feel soft to touch, as they will harden outside of the oven when they are cooling.

Can I use honey instead of golden syrup?

Yes, you can replace golden syrup for honey in equal measurements.

Extra tips

Try not to overheat the butter, otherwise it will split like it has in our photo. However it won't make much of a difference to the final taste and texture.
Add a pinch of salt to intensify the flavour. However we left this out as we were making it for kids to eat.
Make these gluten free by by using gluten free oats
Leave them to cool completely before cutting. This allows them to firm up and keep their shape.

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