I've made various attempts in the last couple of years to make decent flapjacks that 1) don't crumble, 2) don't go rock hard, and 3) are generally edible using one hand while still riding.

Nothing's worked so far, and that includes following all sorts of recipes and varying ingredients, measurements, oven heat, etc.

All I want is a proper flapjack (that I can freeze) to replace all the Torq bars I go through.

What say you STWers?

SM

I reckon that it's all in the sugar/butter/syrup balance!

Try using soft brown sugar instead of Caster or granulated – as it is more likely to give you the softer consistency. Use equal parts sugar to syrup.

Oh yeah – and never cook for more than 20mins, ever – even if it looks a bit sloppy when you get it out of the oven, it should set.

I find taking half the oats and bashing them with a rolling pin improves the consistency a lot

Do you use any flour? Typically I add up to about 100g to my flapjack recipe using 500g oats. The flour, being finer, binds it together fairly well and makes it taste a bit more cakey.

soft brown sugar instead of Caster or granulated

I think I've used it in the past, but will give it a go next time for sure.

I find taking half the oats and bashing them with a rolling pin improves the consistency a lot

Rolling rolled oats – I'm up for that.

Do you use any flour?

No, but I'll try it.

TVM

The Exmoor Explorer has the best flapjacks at the tea stop, made by the Glenmore Bakery in Watchet, perfect consistency, just that little bit soft.

compacting the mixture into the tin by just the right amount helps.

I reckon they should be crispy on the edges, chewy towards a soft centre! 😀 I will check with the controller how these are done, but I think an Aga helps (we don't have one! any more :()

I think it depends on cooking temp and time.

MUCH more syrup and marg than looks healthy.

Anyone remember Bakin Boys? They made the only decent mass produced flapjack. I think they went bust though?

MUCH more syrup and marg than looks healthy.

Yeah, that's what I'm concerned about …

I use a recipe I got from PeterPoddy.

It includes a bit of flour so they become a bit like rock cakes. Very yummy. I'll try to dig it out later.

it's not a flapjack but the powerbar recipie below meets all three of your requirements.

270g applesauce
115g dried apricots
115g raisins
50g demerara
100g mixed seeds
75g oats
75g self-raising
50g desiccated coconut
two eggs
and into nine this gives about 250calories each.

for your flapjacks, too much butter will leave them hard out of the oven (so will over-cooking). to keep them soft add a bit of extra golden syrup but this will leave them sticky if taken too far. i'd try using a bit of self-raising to stop them crumbling.

3 tablespoons of honey in my mixture helps a lot with the consistency I find

you dont really cook them, more kinda heat them a bit.
when taken out of the oven they are way too squishy, but they cool nice.

180* for 20mins.

(always overdo the golden syrup)

270g applesauce

What, like the stuff you have with roast pork??

I always add 3tbls of golden syrup and a mashed up banana to my receipe make's the flapjack moist & a bit healthier.

And cover with foil in the oven when cooking, take out while still squidgy.

This is the recipe for the Marquis Drive date & coconut chewy bar. I kept trying and couldn't get it right. They use flour & egg instead of oats.

This went down very well indeed last Friday. Even the starving man we met on the last climb before Hawkshead thought so.

3oz butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
5oz chopped dates (or dates & raisins)
4oz coconut
4oz self raising flour
1 egg (beaten)

Mix it all together, but it mustn't be too hot when you add the egg (that's if you heat it up to melt the butter)

Cook at 180c for 30 mins, covered in foil for first 20.

Aprox quantities,

40g veg oil
150g dried fruit (blended in a blender with a dash of water to make a paste)
100g mixed nuts (don't break up the big brazil or wallnuts)
100g omega 3 mix (seasme seeds etc from holland and baret, jullian graves etc)
250g oats (i think, could have been more)
3tbs syrup (very heaped)
3tbs sugar
1 beaten egg

Add the oil to a pan and WARM (don't heat it too much)
Add the dried fuit paste, syrup, sugar and stir on a very low heat till its all dissolved.
Add the rest of the ingredients in size order, seed mix, oats then nuts, stir each lot in to get it evenly mixed.
Add the beaten egg and transfer to a baking dish.
Cook at 150degC for 30-40min or untill golden brown and slightly solid on top.

Top nosh!

Bloody hell, that's a lot of ideas there. Seems like nearly everyone has their own version.

Looks like I'm going to be doing some serious baking over the next couple of weeks.

TVM

Only use top quality soft brown sugar.

Butter, never marg.

ALERT – I missed out the 4oz demerara sugar in my recipe above. Sorry!

Never noticed the oil making much difference in my recipie, could get away with even less if you wanted, just enough to stop stuff sticking in the pan.

DezB – Member
270g applesauce

What, like the stuff you have with roast pork??

exactly, any kind of jam will work (or even mashed bananas) it's there to stick it all together but dosn't set hard.

sugar is sugar, don't make no difference (other than taste). It's all in the amount of liquid ingredients and cooking heat and time.

Flapjacks should contain

Sugar
Syrup
Butter
Oats

Any other ingredients is just for taste or for the sake of it.

And no I won't give you my recipe, I've shared it with a good friend to use for their little business and that's it.

15 mins at 150'C for mine.
Mix Syrup, Butter , Brown sugar together. Add Jumbo Oats , Wheat bran / Ground down Jordans country crisp. Ginger, cinnamon, raisons. Works well with Nutella too.

So it's decided then. I'm cooking flapjacks this week.