Golden syrup oat flapjacks

Plan a week with British dishes

Let's cook

1. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan). Line a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper, letting it come up the sides so you can lift the flapjack out later.
2. Put the baking block, sugar, golden syrup and salt in a medium pan on a low heat. Stir now and then until the block has melted and the sugar has mostly dissolved, about 4 minutes. Do not let it boil.
3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the oats, and the raisins if using, until every oat is glossy and coated.
4. Tip into the tin and spread it out evenly. Press it down firmly with the back of a spoon, right into the corners. Pressing well is what holds the flapjack together.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown at the edges and pale golden in the middle. It will still feel soft, but it firms up as it cools.
6. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then mark it into 8 bars with a knife. Leave to cool completely in the tin, about 1 hour, before lifting it out and cutting along the lines.

Tips

• For chewy flapjacks, take them out while still pale in the middle. For crunchy ones, give them 5 minutes more.
• Cutting them while warm makes them crumble. Marking the lines early and cutting once cold gives neat bars.
• They keep in an airtight tin for 5 days.

Swaps

• Gluten free: use oats labelled gluten free. Ordinary oats are often grown and milled beside wheat.
• Classic butter flapjacks: use 100g unsalted butter instead of the baking block. They then contain milk and are vegetarian, not vegan.
• No raisins: use chopped dried apple or 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds.

More in the British meal plan

Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.