British Flapjacks
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Traditional British Flapjacks the way you know and love them! Made with oats, butter, sugar and golden syrup, these oat bars are baked until lightly browned with a deliciously deep caramelized flavor!
I grew up enjoying flapjacks in England and have sampled many a flapjack from many a bakery. Whether you’ve had them many times before or are a newcomer, get ready to fall in love with one of the UK’s most treasured and traditional baked treats!
What are British Flapjacks?
While the term flapjack referred to a pancake in the United States and Canada in years gone by, it originated in the UK where it refers to a baked bar prepared from oats, butter, golden syrup and sugar that is formed into a large, flat rectangle, baked and then cut into small rectangles.
Dating back to at least the early 1600’s in England, the term “flap” refers to a flat cake while “Jack” refers to an ordinary, or common, man (like “Joe” today in the U.S.). In other words, this centuries-old pastry was of the common folk; unadorned with simple, accessible ingredients.
One of the earliest mentions of the flapjack in print appears in Shakespeare’s “Pericles, Prince of Tyre” (1607) where the fisherman says to Pericles: “Come, thou shalt go home, and we’ll have flesh for holidays, fish for fasting-days, and moreo’er puddings and flap-jacks, and thou shalt be welcome.” While historically a flapjack could refer to a number of simple flat cakes, it wasn’t until the early 1900’s that it’s association as a baked oat bar became cemented.
The flapjack is the ancestor of the American granola bar and in other countries is also called a cereal bar, muesli bar or simply a “slice” (e.g. Australia). Traditional flapjacks are very basic and are made with just a few simple ingredients without pomp and circumstance.
Below is a bakery we stopped at in the Lake District where the flapjacks were made after traditional fashion – simple and delicious.
Flapjacks can still be found in bakeries all around the England.
Flavor Variations
Alternatively, flapjacks can be made with any flavor combination your heart desires, including dried fruits, nuts, toffee pieces, and even spread with jam in the center or topped with icing or chocolate ganache. You can find bakeries throughout the UK that offer these variations.
One of the best selections I’ve seen was last year at the Royal Cornwall Show where the Devon-made Flapjackery display made my mouth water. Of course we couldn’t resist buying several varieties to enjoy while watching the air show, the parachutists, the “massed parade of hounds” (so fun!) and other demonstrations, and while admiring the finest farm animals in the south of England.
Key Ingredients
To make authentic British flapjacks you’ll need:
- The Right Kind of Oats: For the right texture you need quick cooking rolled oats. NOT “instant oats.” And NOT old-fashioned rolled oats. Quick cooking and instant oats are both intended to cook quickly, but instant oats are rolled thinner and cook even faster. They are similar but their cooking times vary as well as their texture.
- Demerara Sugar: Demerara is a raw cane sugar with large, sparkling crystals and a golden brown color with a caramel-like flavor. Demerara is the traditional sugar of choice for making flapjacks both because of its flavor and because it retains some of its crunch even after it’s baked. If you can’t find demerara sugar you can substitute turbinado sugar as it also has a coarse texture and subtle caramel flavor.
- Golden Syrup: A kitchen staple in Great Britain for over a century, Golden Syrup (also known as light treacle) is a thick amber-colored inverted sugar syrup known for its deep caramelized, buttery flavor. It is not the same thing as Karo Syrup. Outside the UK you can find it in some well-stocked grocery stores but in many areas can only be accessed online. You can buy it online or you can easily (and much more cheaply) make your own. Check out my recipe for homemade Golden Syrup!
How to Make British Flapjacks
The process of making British flapjacks is super simple:
- Melt the butter, sugar, golden syrup and salt in a saucepan.
- Pour the mixture over the oats.
- Spread the oats onto a lined baking sheet according to desired thickness, shape into a rectangle or square, and pat it down with a spatula or similar.
- Bake, let cool and then slice into rectangles or desired shape.
Thickness is a matter of personal preference. Make them thicker if you prefer them chewy, make them thinner if you prefer them crunchy. I like them both ways but lean more towards thinner/crunchier. Letting the flapjacks bake longer will also result in deeper caramelization and crunch.
Are Flapjacks Chewy or Crunchy?
Yes :) You’ll find them both ways and it purely comes down to personal preference. The texture can be easily adjusted according to your taste: Make them thicker for a chewier consistency or make them thinner and bake them for a bit longer for a crunchier consistency. I like and make them both ways.
British Flapjacks Recipe
Let’s get started!
Preheat the oven to 325 F. **For best results we recommend turning the fan off if you have that option.
In a saucepan heat the butter, sugar, salt and golden syrup until the butter is melted and the sugar is mostly but not entirely dissolved. (The demerara sugar crystals add a nice crunch to the finished flapjacks.)
Place the oats in a large mixing bowl and pour the hot sugar mixture onto the oats. Stir to thoroughly coat the oats.
Spread the oat mixture out onto a lined baking sheet.
Spread the oat mixture according to desired thickness, forming it into a rectangle or square, and pat it down with a spatula or similar, forming . Bake for 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned. The middle should be springy but not extremely soft.
Let cool 10 minutes then cut into rectangles (or desired shape).
Transfer the flapjacks to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Store the flapjacks at room temperature in an airtight container. They will keep for up to 5 days.
Enjoy!
For more authentic British treats be sure to try my:
- Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Lardy Cake
- Eccles Cakes
- Chelsea Buns
- Spotted Dick
- Hot Cross Buns
- Bara Brith
- Barmbrack
- Mince Pies
- Scottish Shortbread
- Yorkshire Parkin
- Victoria Sponge Cake
- Crumpets
- Millionaire’s Shortbread
- Yorkshire Pudding
- Figgy Pudding
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British Flapjacks
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup demerara sugar (highly recommend for its larger crystals that add crunch to the texture, but can substitute turbinado sugar instead. In a pinch you can use light brown sugar.)
- 1/2 cup golden syrup
- OR Homemade Golden Syrup (click link for recipe – it's EASY and CHEAPER!)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups quick cooking rolled oats (NOT instant oats or old-fashioned rolled oats)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. *For best results we recommend turning the fan off if you have that option.
- In a saucepan heat the butter, sugar, salt and golden syrup until the butter is melted and the sugar is mostly but not entirely dissolved. (The demerara sugar crystals add a nice crunch to the finished flapjacks.) Place the oats in a large mixing bowl and pour the hot sugar mixture onto the oats. Stir to thoroughly coat the oats. Spread the oat mixture out onto a lined baking sheet according to desired thickness, forming it into a rectangle or square, and pat it down with a spatula or similar. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned. The middle should be springy but not extremely soft. Let cool 10 minutes then cut into rectangles (or desired shape) and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.Note: Number of servings depends on what size you cut the flapjacks.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet October 29, 2020
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Hi
I made the syrup as instructed, but a quarter of the ingredients (I’ve only used golden syrup (Tate n Lyles) once in my life (my mum used it of course). The result was excellent, even though it was maybe a little over-caramelised, but it smells and tastes a bit like maple syrup. It was fun to make, and I made it for my wife on Women’s Day. Took my iPad and office chair into the kitchen and watched the pot! :)
Anyway, a question. My wife bought Bob’s Red Mill Extra Thick Rolled Oats – will they do? I saw that they’re good for granola and energy bars. Was wondering if we’d need to add extra liquid. We’re baking tomorrow.
Also, since my homemade syrup has a very strong caramel flavour, can I substitute demerara sugar with large white granulated? We’re in China, so it’s not so easy to source products. The sugar we have are quite large granules.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe and I love the background story and the excellent visuals on your site! Cheers! (Yorkshire Parkin next)
Hi Frank, that’s terrific, I’m happy it was a success! If the gold syrup is still pourable/scoopable then it isn’t over-caramelized. I like the deeper, caramelized flavor that comes from letting the syrup simmer a bit longer. Rolled oats, especially thick rolled oats, will absorb a lot more liquid than quick oats. You can pulse them in a food processor or blender to break them up smaller, but it still won’t be quite the same and the liquid proportions may be off as a result. All you can do is give it a try. I’m not sure just how large the crystals are in the large granulated sugar – you don’t want anything too big that will break teeth :) But yes, that should work fine. For more flavor you can also use regular brown sugar. Happy baking!
Hi again, an update.
It worked! We used half the ingredients, but added 50g of mixed nuts and dried fruit (adding no extra butter nor sugars). Baked in a cake tin. Cooled, then slathered with a homemade chocolate ganache (Ritter Sport Dark 74%, butter, vanilla and freshly grated ginger). After chilling, it was difficult to cut, and crunchy and chewy. Very tasty, but a little disappointed with how hard it was.
However, after leaving on a plate at room temperature for an hour or so, it was perfectly soft yet firm, and chewy, and the chocolate still kept its form. Success!
Friends have said we could sell it! We won’t of course, but we’re very happy with the final result.
Next time we’ll keep it basic! Thanks! :)
Fantastic!! You guys are awesome, those additions all sound terrific and I’m thrilled that it was a success on your first attempt! When you mentioned it was initially too crunchy, I was going to recommend reducing the baking time, but I’m glad it softened up on its own. Well done and thank you so much for the feedback! <3
Can we use simply BROWN sugar? I don’t have the others listed.
Hi Monika, yes you can!
WHat size is the baking dish?
I’d like to use an 8 inch by 8 inch pan. How long would it bake in that?
Thanks.
Hi Monika, the size depends on how thick you like your flapjacks, likewise the baking time depends on the thickness. An 8×8 pan will produce very thick ones. You may want to go with a 9×13 instead. Doneness is determined by color (it should be lightly browned) and feel (the middle should be springy but not extremely soft).
Try adding chopped walnuts or pecans and dried chopped apricots. Absolutely my favourite flavour.
Agreed, Katherine, I especially love dried apricots with these!
I’ve made these and didn’t even know that’s what they were called. I’m in Canada and we just call these Oatmeal Squares. Flapjacks is a cowboy name for pancakes over here.
Hi Kimberley! A shout out to your Canadian readers and U.S. readers who live close to the border… Golden syrup is readily available in supermarkets across Canada. It is called Rogers Golden Syrup and is made in Canada. It is 100% pure cane syrup…no additives. It comes in a 750 ml. bottle. Being of English/Irish/Welsh descent, I am never without a bottle in my baking cupboard LOL.
Can you advise when you say 1/2 stick of butter, do you mean 4 tbsp or 8 tbsp? Butter comes in different sizes. Mine came out a bit dry so I’m thinking you may mean 8 tbsp.
Hi LJ, in the U.S. the standard measurement for a half stick of butter is 4 tablespoons. If you’re not in the U.S. or prefer more precise measurements you can also click on the “Metric” button to the right of the ingredients list and it will convert it to grams for you.
Dear Kimberley at Daring Gourmet, the email to kimberley@daringgourmet.com bounced back as being undeliverable so am trying this post on your website. Can you please advise on what are considered quick cooking rolled oats? I live in New Zealand and have bought Harraway rolled oats. None of the rolled oats available in the supermarket were labelled as quick cooking.
Hi Anne, it was the added “e” that made it bounce back (“Kimberly”) but no worries :) In the UK they are also known as porridge oats. Perhaps they are similarly called in New Zealand? Here is an example of what they look like: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KAQQD9U?ie=UTF8&tag=thedargou09-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=B01KAQQD9U
Other recipes call for 1/2 cup of butter which is 1 stick of butter, Mine were dry to and I think this would resolve that issue.
Anyone in the US, they are very similar to a Nature Valley bar. My kids love them. Great crumbled up over vanilla ice cream.
First try is in the oven. Used brown sugar but licking the spatula after shaping the mixture before backing suggests you may have given me a new favorite!
Awesome, David! They’re definitely a favorite of mine, I LOVE flapjacks! :)