Maple Syrup Flapjacks with apple are a delicious combination of flavours all year round, but especially in the autumn or fall. With a prep time of just 5 minutes, this is an easy recipe. The maple syrup makes these flapjacks or oat bars lighter but still gives a nice chewy texture.
Flapjacks are perfect for a sweet treat, for lunchboxes, on the go or as an after-school snack. Maple Syrup flapjacks are a lower sugar alternative and a great option for making flapjacks without golden syrup. For a more traditional recipe, try my Soft Chewy Fruit Flapjacks with golden syrup. My Banana Oatmeal Bars also have a lower amount of added syrup as the bananas give them a natural sweetness. For a flapjack bar with a little crunch, try my Granola Flapjack Breakfast Bars.
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Ingredients
A simple recipe with the option of adding pecan nuts and apples.
- Maple syrup is a 100% natural syrup and comes from the sap of the maple tree. Maple syrups are almost all made in Canada or the US. There are different types available and the most noticeable difference is between maple 'flavoured' syrups and pure maple syrup. Pure maple syrup will have a maple leaf logo. It's generally more expensive than a flavoured syrup but use the pure syrup if you can. A maple-flavoured syrup, is just a sugar syrup with added flavourings.
- Oats. Because maple syrup is not as sticky as golden syrup, I recommend using fine-rolled oats rather than jumbo oats as fine rolled hold together better.
- Unsalted Butter - use an unsalted butter or spread.
- Dark Brown Sugar acts like treacle when it is melted and helps to bind the ingredients together. Also sometimes known as Muscovado sugar.
- Apples Use normal eating apples as the flapjack won't cook for very long and these are sweeter than cooking apples. Peel and grate the apple. I've found that grating the apple helps to distribute the flavour and also holds it together better.
- Pecan Nuts have a sweet flavour and crunchy texture and go very well with apple and maple syrup. Break them up into small pieces before adding to the oats. These are optional but help with a real autumnal flavour.
- Ground Cinnamon is optional but again adds a lovely autumnal flavour to the maple syrup.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This is a very straightforward recipe. Gather all your ingredients together first, then you will need just 5 minutes to mix everything together.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 & melt the butter or spred in a large saucepan over a low heat. Stir it gently with a wooden spoon until it has all completely melted. Turn off the heat, add the sugar and the maple syrup, and stir together until all the sugar has dissolved and you have a thick dark mixture. Overboiling the sugar butter and syrup is one reason why flapjacks go hard.
Add in the oats, grated or chopped apple, pecan nuts, ground cinnamon, and any other extra ingredients you are using. See the list of variations for ideas.
Stir everything together, making sure your dry ingredients are well coated with the butter syrup and sugar.
Line a baking tray with baking paper or a reusable oven liner and tip the mixture in. Spread it evenly using the back of a spoon and press the mixture down, ensuring you spread it right up to the corners of the tray. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown.
Hint: Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cool store in the fridge for at least one hour before cutting into squares with a sharp knife. Cutting flapjacks whilst they are still warm will mean they break apart.
Making Vegan Flapjacks
It's very simple to make these maple syrup flapjacks suitable for a vegan diet. Substitute the unsalted butter with a vegan or dairy-free spread. It's worth noting that not all margarine is vegan. In the US margarine must contain a minimum of 80% fat, but can include some cow's milk. Look for non-dairy butter spreads such as light olive oil spreads. You might want to consider avoiding varieties that use palm oil from a sustainability point of view. Some vegan baking recipes replace butter with coconut oil. The problem with coconut oil is that it is very sensitive to temperature changes and I wouldn't recommend using coconut oil for this recipe. It will also give quite a different taste.
Green Tip. Using a vegan spread instead of butter will help lower your carbon footprint.
Variations
In addition to the basic recipe, you can add other additional ingredients to make your flapjacks more exciting. I suggest using just one or two at a time as otherwise you may not have enough butter syrup and sugar mixture to bind everything together properly. Keep the combined weight of additional dried ingredients to 50g or 2 ounces. Choose from:-
- Mixed dried fruit,
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin Seeds
- White or dark chocolate chips
- Raisins
- Dried Apricots
Equipment
You need a large pan that you can stir all the ingredients together in and a baking tray, roughly 28cm x 18cm, or another size that will give a similar area.
This will make flapjacks that are about 2cm deep. You will also need baking paper or a liner. I use a reusable over liner that I can wash in hot soapy water after each use. This helps me keep my waste to a minimum.
Sustainability
Dark brown sugar and cinnamon powder can be bought as Fairtrade ingredients. Fairtrade works with small-scale farmers to pay them a fair price for their goods. They also help farmers adapt to the effects of climate change. Making your own snacks such as these Maple Syrup Flapjack bars will help reduce your plastic consumption as well as being more economical.
Storage
Flapjacks are best stored in the fridge so they stay firm. You can also store them in an air-tight container in a cupboard but they may break apart more easily. They will keep for 10 days in the fridge and 3-4 days in a cupboard. I find in Winter, they are fine stored in a cupboard, but in Summer, they need to go in the fridge. You can freeze flapjacks for up to 3 months. Place a piece of baking paper between each one to stop them all freezing together in one big lump and freeze in an airtight container.
Top tip
Don't let your butter, sugar, and maple syrup mixture boil. Boiling the syrup mixture is one reason flapjacks go too hard.
FAQ
A flapjack in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand is better known as an Oatbar in the US. Made from rolled oats, syrup, butter, and sugar and then baked, it makes a great snack or breakfast item.
The most common mistake people make with flapjacks or oat bars is overboiling the butter sugar and syrup mixture. This will make the flapjacks hard rather than giving them a nice chewy texture.
This is usually down to temperature. If they are kept in a warm environment, they will often start to fall apart. To cut nice neat squares, you need to make sure the flapjacks are properly cold and I recommend storing them in the fridge for at least one hour before cutting.
Related
Looking for other easy Snack Recipes like this? Try these:
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📖 Recipe
Maple Syrup Flapjacks with Apple
Equipment
- 28cm x 18cm baking tray / 11 inch x 7 inch or similar area. This gives flapjacks 2cm deep.
- Baking paper or reusable oven liner
Ingredients
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 100 g dark brown sugar fairtrade available
- 80 g maple syrup
- 225 g oats rolled
- 75 g pecan nuts chopped, optional
- 1 eating apples peeled and grated or chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon fairtrade available
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 & melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat125 g unsalted butter
- Stir in the sugar and syrup and turn off the heat100 g dark brown sugar, 80 g maple syrup
- Stir in the oats, peacan nuts, grated apple and cinnamon and pumpkin seeds225 g oats, 75 g pecan nuts, 1 eating apples, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Line a baking tray roughly 28cm x 18cm with baking paper or a reusable oven liner and tip the mixture in. Spread it evenly and press the mixture into the tin using the back of a spoon, ensuring you spread right up to the corners. Cook in the oven on the middle shelf for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cool store in the fridge then when it is hard, it can be cut up into squares.
Notes
Ingredient Notes
- Maple syrup is a 100% natural syrup and comes from the sap of the maple tree. Maple syrups are almost all made in Canada or the US. There are different types available and the most noticeable difference is between maple 'flavoured' syrups and pure maple syrup. Pure maple syrup will have a maple leaf logo. It's generally more expensive than a flavoured syrup but use the pure syrup if you can. A maple-flavoured syrup, is just a sugar syrup with added flavourings.
- Oats. Because maple syrup is not as sticky as golden syrup, I recommend using fine-rolled oats rather than jumbo oats as fine rolled hold together better.
- Unsalted Butter - use an unsalted butter or spread.
- Dark Brown Sugar acts like treacle when it is melted and helps to bind the ingredients together. Also sometimes known as Muscovado sugar.
- Apples Use normal eating apples as the flapjack won't cook for very long and these are sweeter than cooking apples. Peel and grate the apple. I've found that grating the apple helps to distribute the flavour and also holds it together better.
- Pecan Nuts have a sweet flavour and crunchy texture and go very well with apple and maple syrup. Break them up into small pieces before adding to the oats. These are optional but help with a real autumnal flavour.
- Ground Cinnamon is optional but again adds a lovely autumnal flavour to the maple syrup.
Recipe Variation
In addition to the basic recipe, you can add in some of the following. Mixed dried fruit, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, white or dark chocolate drops, raisins, dried apricots. Use one or two at a time as otherwise you may not have enough butter syrup and sugar mixture to bind everything together properly.Tips
The most common mistake people make with flapjacks is over boiling the butter sugar and syrup mixture. This will make the flapjacks hard rather than a nice chewy texture. Only cut the flapjacks when they are cold and have been stored in the fridge for at least one hour.Storage
Store your flapjacks in the fridge to make sure they keep their shape. They will keep for about 10 days. You can also freeze flapjacks. Separate each slice with some greaseproof paper and freeze in an airtight container. They will freeze well for 3 months.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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