Follow along with our easy flapjack recipe for making Golden Syrup and Oat Bars using simple ingredients. Our recipe makes the best flapjacks ever, thick, chewy and sweet.
These delicious treats have been enjoyed in the UK for generations because they're so easy to make!
We have the best flapjack recipe for you; the recipe card is below, or continue reading for all the tips and tricks.
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Easy Flapjacks Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 gram Unsalted Butter
- 200 gram Light Brown Sugar - or demerara sugar.
- 5 tablespoon Golden Syrup - or honey, agave syrup or maple syrup
- 350 gram Oats - instant or quick rolled oats for a soft texture jumbo rolled oats for a chewy texture
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°c / 160°c fan gas 4 / 350 °F. Prepare the baking tin by lining it with baking parchment. We use a 8 x 8 inch square tin loose-bottomed cake tin, if using a longer tin they will come out thinner.Make sure parchment paper is longer than the tray to make it easier to remove later. See blog post for advice.
- Put 250 gram Unsalted Butter, 200 gram Light Brown Sugar and 5 tablespoon Golden Syrup in a pan together.
- Melt the ingredients together on low heat. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
- Once melted turn off the heat and add 350 gram Oats.
- Stir oats into the butter, sugar and syrup until well coated and it forms a sticky mixture
- Transfer into the lined baking tray
- Push down with a silicone spatula
- Bake for 15 -20 minutes in an oven set to 180°c / 160°c fan gas 4 / 350 °F
- Remove from the oven, they will still be soft and greasy looking, don't worry this is normal they firm up as they cool. Do not be tempted to cook for longer!
- Leave to cool still in the tin for at least 30 minutes. Once the tin has cooled down, place it in the fridge. This will cool the flapjack mixture quicker and make it set hard. The longer the better for neater cuts I suggest 2 hours+.
- Once completely cooled and firm, gently lift the flapjack slab out with the baking parchment.
- Use a sharp knife to cut into rectangles or squares!
- Makes 8 large rectangular flapjacks or 16 treat size squares.
- Best served at room temperature, for a soft chewy texture.
Video
Nutrition
Our traditional flapjack recipe post was originally published on 21/09/2021. It was modified on 20/02/2025 with a simpler layout to make it easier to get to the recipe card and improved advice on how to make flapjacks.
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Flapjack Ingredients
Our delicious and easy flapjack recipe is made with simple ingredients found at any grocery shop.
Substitutions
Here are some suggestions for suitable substitutes.
Butter
Dairy-free butter alternatives can be used instead of unsalted butter.
Sugar
Use Light Brown Soft Sugar, Demerara Sugar.
Golden Syrup
Honey, agave syrup or maple syrup can be used instead.
Porridge Oats
Use instant or quick-rolled oats, rolled porridge oats will give a soft texture.
Jumbo oats, or old-fashioned oats can be used for a firm, chewy bite.
Optional Ingredients
Of course, you can add extra flavours to this basic flapjack recipe by adding some dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, or seeds.
More Flapjack Recipes
We also a lovely recipe for chocolate flapjack and fruit flapjack recipes on our site that you may want to try!
Equipment
What baking tin to use?
For lovely, thick, soft, chewy flapjacks, we use a square baking tin measuring 8x8 inches (20x20 cm). You can use a bigger tray, but they will come out thinner.
You could also use an 8x8 round cake tin instead.
How to line a baking tin?
To line, a rectangular or square tin, put the tray or, if using a bottomless baking tray, the base on top of parchment paper.
Then cut corners away to meet the tin, as seen in the image above.
Once inside the tin, they will cover all the edges.
How to make flapjacks
Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup into a pan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted with the syrup and the sugar has dissolved.
Finally, stir in the oats to form a sticky mixture.
Transfer the mix to your prepared square baking tin lined with baking paper/parchment.
Use a silicone spatula to flatten the oat mixture evenly into the tin.
What temperature?
Preheat the oven to 180°c / 160°c fan gas 4 / 350 °F. Check your oven setting and convert the temperature accordingly.
Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until a pale golden brown is on top. Keep an eye on them; you do not want them to burn around the edges.
Flapjacks are too soft after cooking.
When you take the flapjacks out of the oven, they may appear soft and undercooked but don't worry, that's normal. They might also seem a bit greasy, but that's all part of the scrumptiousness.
Here's the secret: you need to let them cool for them to set and become firmer. Resist the temptation to cook them for longer, as they will end up too hard once cooled!
To understand why this happens, let's think back to our science lessons. This recipe calls for a generous amount of butter, which becomes liquid when it gets hot. The key is to let the butter cool down to return to its solid state.
So, be patient and give these flapjacks the time they need to reach their perfect texture. It'll be well worth the wait!
How long to cool?
Homemade flapjacks take a long time to cool (the butter needs to soak into the oats and return to a solid state) before being cut into neat squares or rectangles.
First, allow cooling for about 30 minutes in the tin at room temperature.
Then, allow it to cool completely in the fridge for about 2 hours (the longer, the better). Putting it in the fridge speeds up the cooling time.
Once the flapjack slab has completely cooled, you can cut it into large rectangles or squares for smaller snack-size treats.
We made eight large oat bars. But you can cut them all in half again to make 16 squares.
This is optional, but I like to trim the outside crunchy flapjack edges.
It smartens up the slaps, and the edges are always chewier than the inside. Don't worry; they don't go to waste; we still eat them!
These are our favourite treat for any picnic, lunch box, after-school snack or afternoon tea. I guarantee that these will be gone before you know it.
These flapjacks taste sweet enough as they are! But if you want to add something to them before serving, try a drizzle of our caramel sauce or chocolate sauce. A drizzle of yoghurt glaze goes well too.
How to store flapjacks?
Leftover flapjacks can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To prevent them from sticking together, use a napkin between each slice.
You can also freeze flapjacks and defrost as and when you want them!
What are flapjacks?
Flapjacks are a British recipe made with only four ingredients: butter, sugar, porridge oats and golden syrup.
Not to be confused with an American flapjack which we call a pancake!
More Baking Recipes
Looking for more baking recipes, try our Chocolate Chip Brownies. Another classic British recipe Rock Cakes or our delicious Chocolate Victoria Sponge.
- Easy Fairy Cakes with Sprinkles
- Queen Cakes - Raisin Cupcakes
- Giant Cookie with Chocolate Chips
- Parkin Cake - Lancashire Gingerbread Cake
We hope you enjoy this oaty flapjack recipe as much as our family; please let us know how you get on and what you like to add to your flapjacks.
Kay Goswell says
The only sweet thing my husband will eat is flapjacks. I wanted to make him the best I could and these are them. I have made these flapjacks numerous times now and they are always scrumptious! I've become "known" for my flapjacks and at Christmas give them as presents! My only "finesse" is I always use Billington's light soft brown sugar as it does enhance the flavour.
Luke and Kay says
That’s brilliant, Kay, what a lovely thing to be known for!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this, it really means a lot to us. We’re so pleased the flapjacks have become a go-to in your home (and even better that they’ve made it into your Christmas gifting too!).
Great tip on the Billington’s light soft brown sugar as well, that extra depth of flavour makes such a difference and it’s exactly the kind of little touch that turns a good flapjack into a great one.
Sounds like your husband is very lucky to have you baking for him! 😊
Ian McLeod says
I am not and never have been a cook, but had a little spare time I really wanted to try and "have a go" at something and I love flapjack!!!
The recipe was easy to follow, (I used the Youtube video as well) and that allowed to me feel confident I wasn't going off track. The result was excellent, so much so that my wife initially refused to believe that I'd done it myself. Have subsequently done another batch to prove it wasn't beginners luck and it was just as good as the first.
Luke and Kay says
Hi Ian, thank you so much for taking the time to share this, it’s really made our day 😊
We love that you gave it a go, especially as a self-confessed non-cook, that’s exactly what our recipes are all about. And using the YouTube video alongside is such a great way to build confidence too.
The fact you nailed it not once but twice definitely proves it wasn’t beginner’s luck! Sounds like you’ve got a new signature bake on your hands… even if it did take a second batch to convince your wife 😄
Thanks again for your lovely feedback, and we hope you enjoy trying more recipes with us!
Debra Innes says
The best flap jacks I have ever seen made ever one loves them
Luke and Kay says
Thank you so much, Debra! We’re so happy to hear everyone enjoyed them, that makes us smile! 🥰 Flapjacks are such a crowd-pleaser.
Kari | Chef and Steward says
This flapjack recipe is a perfect one to make with kids and I am going to bake this With my son this weekend for his class.
Luke and Kay says
That sounds like a wonderful weekend activity, Kari! 🥰 Your son’s class is in for a real treat—homemade flapjacks always go down well! Let us know how they turn out. Happy baking! 🍯✨"
Tammy Stringer says
Best flapjack recipe ever. Delicious buttery, soft flapjack- can't be beaten
Luke and Kay says
Tammy, we are so glad you enjoyed our flapjack recipe! We strive to provide easy and delicious recipes for everyone to enjoy. We appreciate your support and hope you continue to make wonderful memories with our dishes. Happy cooking! 🙂