Just 6 ingredients, minimal prep time and so simple that they are a great recipe to make with kids. The festive season is all about baking for us, and these Cinnamon Flapjacks couldn't be easier. Buttery and sugary oats that are flavoured with cinnamon and ginger and baked until they are crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
If you don't think of yourself as a very good baker, you can't go wrong with flapjacks. You just melt the butter, add the golden syrup and sugar and then stir in the oats before baking. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool, when you just want to eat them.
This is like those flapjacks you know and love from your childhood, but with a festive twist. These are heavy on the cinnamon and they just scream Christmas.
If you are looking for some other Christmas desserts to try, why not try our Christmas Cheesecake, Gingerbread Cupcakes, or Christmas Tree Brownies.
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Why should you try it?
- Fool proof recipe - You literally can't go wrong with this recipe. You just melt some ingredients, mixing them together in a bowl and put them in the oven. Simple!
- Easy to adapt with different flavours - Once you have this base recipe, you can adapt it. We LOVE cinnamon, so this is heavy on the cinnamon. But you can adjust it.
- Great for making with kids - Once the butter and sugar is melted, kids can do all the stirring and transferring to the baking dish. And the licking of the spoon of course.
- Freezable - Did you know that you can freeze flapjacks! If you are going to be tempted to eat the whole tray in one go, put some in the freezer for another day.
- Uses store cupboard ingredients - This recipe is made up with ingredients that you probably already have.
What you will need
- Butter - This is what gives the flapjacks a lovely creaminess. We used unsalted butter.
- Sugar - All the sweetness comes from the golden syrup and the soft brown sugar. The golden syrup helps to make it nice and sticky and the brown sugar is what gives it the lovely golden colour.
- Oats - This is the star of the flapjacks. We used rolled oats, as we find that they help the flapjacks stick together.
- Spices - We added cinnamon and ginger to give them all the festive flavours. You can adjust it to suit your own tastes though.
Step by step
One: Preheat your oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3 and line a 40x25cm (15x10inch) baking tray with baking paper.
Two: In a large saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat.
Three: Add the sugar and golden syrup and once it has dissolved into the butter, remove from the heat.
Four: Stir in the oats, cinnamon and ginger. Taste to see if it has enough cinnamon/ginger in it for you. If not, add more to taste. Mix well so all the oats are covered.
Five: Pour the mixture in to your baking tray and put in the oven for 20 minutes. The middle should still be a little soft, but the edges will have started to brown.
Six: Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Then remove them from the tin and cut in to slices.
Other Flavour Variations
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:
- A drizzle of chocolate on top (melted dark, milk or white all work well)
- Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries and cherries are good)
- Nut butter (cashew is our favourite)
- Chocolate chips
- Mashed banana
What to serve with Cinnamon Flapjacks
These are pretty indulgent as they are, so they really don't need anything else. But they go really well with a nice hot drink. Why not try one of the ones we have on the blog:
- Cinnamon Coffee
- Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
- Pumpkin Spiced Latte
- Snowman Hot Chocolate
- Cinnamon Mocha
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Chai Tea Latte
FAQs
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.
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.
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, and they will keep in the freezer for about a month.
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.
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.
Extra tips
- Try not to over heat 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 keep their shape.
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Recipe
Cinnamon Flapjacks
Ingredients
- 160 g butter
- 110 g golden syrup
- 110 g soft light brown sugar
- 330 g rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 0.5 teaspoon ginger
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3 and line a 40x25cm (15x10inch) baking tray with baking paper.
- In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over a low heat.160 g butter
- Add the sugar and golden syrup and once it has dissolved into the butter, remove from the heat.110 g soft light brown sugar, 110 g golden syrup
- Stir in the oats, cinnamon and ginger. Taste to see if it has enough cinnamon/ginger in it for you. If not, add more to taste. Mix well so all the oats are covered.330 g rolled oats, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 0.5 teaspoon ginger
- Pour the mixture in to your baking tray and put in the oven for 20 minutes. The middle should still be a little soft, but the edges will have started to brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Then remove them from the tin and cut in to slices.
Notes
- Try not to over heat 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 keep their shape.
cath
my google search was for healthy flapjacks these are high in sugar with syrup and brown sugar and high in fat 1,198 calories just for the butter, so not that healthy in my opinion
Dannii
Hello. I am sorry that the recipe wasn't what you were looking for, however we can't control what Google shows you. We have never said that this recipe is healthy, and the title isn't 'healthy flapjacks'. These are full of sugar and butter, and delicious with it. Perfect for an indulgent treat as part of a healthy and balanced diet. If you Google 'healthy flapjacks' you will find lots of lower sugar and butter ones, however we can't help when Google shows you in the results.
stephanie
This was such a delicious dessert, my kids loved them.
Chloe
Amazing recipe the amount of spice was PERFECT, can’t go wrong with these
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
These look like the perfect snack - I love cinnamon especially at this time of year so will definitely be making these for the family!
Romina
I love how simple this is! This is the perfect flapjack recipe
Emily
What a perfect recipe for autumn/winter! I love cinnamon anything so I'll definitely be giving these a go!
Andrea Metlika
These look scrumptious. I really like that they are made with oats, ginger and cinnamon.
Erika
These are the best! I love cinnamon and these were so delicious.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
We made this the oGoing to make it again for a family gathering this weeI made this recipe last weekend and it was incredible! Thanks so much for sharing.
Michelle
I'm in the US, where flapjacks are a synonym for pancakes. So I did a quick google, and found these are British flapjacks! I'm not sure we have a good comparison here, but these are delicious. Cinnamon is my favorite.
Anita
These cinnamon oatmeal bars are delicious and so easy to make. They are perfect for snacking too. :)
Alison
A fun and delicious recipe to make with the kids. Will me making these for Christmas gifts again soon!
Deanne
You had me at minimal prep time plus the cinnamon flavor in these flapjacks was phenomenal! I'll be making these all through the holiday season.
Jacqueline Meldrum
Chewy is exactly what a flapjack should be and these look great.
We make them for lunchboxes, for when we are out walking and they are great for breakfast on the go.
Sharing :)
Pam Greer
These sound amazing! When I first came here I thought they were pancakes, which is what flapjacks are in our country. However, these bars are perfect for snacking, we love them!
Danielle
Oh wow, these look soo good! I wonder how long they can last if the kids are involved... or if they can make it until the last stage of the recipe (flapjacks, I mean) :-)