Sweet syrupy flapjacks with a layer of tart Bramley apples! These easy apple flapjacks are just perfect for snacks, lunch boxes, or even served as a simple dessert with custard!
It's also a great recipe for using up a glut of cooking apples from your apple tree!
Want to know the best thing about these moist Bramley apple flapjacks? They taste exactly like apple crumble, just in bar form!
The other great thing about these bars is that they travel really well. I often make a batch to take on Autumn picnics, with any spare going into the kid's school lunchboxes for a sweet treat.
👩🍳 Love flapjacks? Try these golden, buttery biscoff flapjacks too!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Easy to make
- Great for snacks or an easy dessert with custard
- Uses seasonal Bramley apples
- Freezer-friendly
🛒 Ingredients
- Rolled Oats - ordinary rolled oats are best for this recipe. Don't use jumbo oats as they don't absorb the butter very well.
- Sugar - I find using a mixture of light brown sugar and demerara gives the best taste and texture. You will also need 2 tablespoons of caster sugar for the apples.
- Butter - unsalted.
- Golden Syrup - if you can't get hold of golden syrup, use honey instead.
- Cinnamon - a spice that goes really well with apple.
- Apples - this flapjack recipe has been developed specifically for cooking apples ( I used Bramelys). If you prefer to use eating apples, be aware that the flapjacks will be much sweeter.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
- Place the chopped Bramley apples into a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of water. Cook on a low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Set aside.
- In another saucepan, melt the butter, sugars and syrup on a low heat for a few minutes.
- Stir in the oats and cinnamon.
- Press half the mixture into a lined baking tin and press down firmly with the back of a spoon.
- Spread over the apples pressing down lightly with your hand.
- Top with the other half of the flapjack mixture and firmly press down with a spoon. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
💭 Top tips
- Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to measure out the golden syrup. People often use a dessert spoon from their cutlery drawer by mistake. A dessert spoon is more than a tablespoon, resulting in flapjacks that are too soft and don't set properly.
- Make sure you firmly pack down the flapjack mixture into the tin, to ensure they stick together and don't crumble when cut.
- Allow the flapjacks to cool completely before cutting into squares. To speed up the process you can place the tin in the fridge for 1 hour.
🍴 Serving suggestions
These easy apple flapjacks are perfect for snacks, picnics, and lunchboxes. They also make a delicious dessert with creamy custard.
Pssst...If you love apple, you'll want to give these caramel apple pie bars a go too!
📖 Variations
- Add 75g of dried fruit to the oat mixture. Raisins or chopped apricots would work well.
- Swap the golden syrup for honey.
- Love cinnamon. Double the amount!
- Swap the apples for pears and chopped stem ginger for delicious pear and ginger flapjacks.
🥡 Storage
The apple flapjacks will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Alternatively, they can be frozen for up to 3 months.
❓ FAQs
Slicing them into bars while still warm can often cause them to fall apart. Instead, if you partially score them and then pop them in the fridge, this will speed up the cooling process and result in solid flapjack bars. Packing the oat mixture down firmly with the back of a spoon in the baking tin before baking, also helps.
Over-boiling the sugar, butter and syrup, is one reason for flapjacks being so hard. Simmering the butter-sugar-syrup mixture on a low heat is better. Baking them for too long in the oven can also cause hard flapjacks.
😋Related recipes
More delicious flapjack recipes to try!
Tried this recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating in the comments!
Recipe
Easy Apple Flapjacks
Ingredients
- 2 Bramley Apples peeled and chopped into small pieces.
- 2 tablespoon Caster Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Water
- 200 g Butter unsalted
- 5 tablespoon Golden Syrup
- 50 g Light Brown Sugar
- 75 g Demerara Sugar
- 400 g Oats
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°c (160 fan/ Gas 4/ 350F) and line a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper.
- Place the chopped Bramley apples into a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of water. Cook on a low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the apple starts to soften. Set aside.
- In another saucepan, melt the butter, sugars and syrup on a low heat for a few minutes.
- Stir in the oats and cinnamon.
- Press half the mixture into a lined baking tin and press down firmly with the back of a spoon.
- Spread over the apples, pressing them down lightly with your hand or a spoon.
- Top the apples with the other half of the flapjack mixture, firmly press it down with the back of spoon and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
- Score into bars lightly then allow to cool completely in the tin. I often place the tin in the fridge for an hour to help the flapjack set.
Notes
- Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to measure out the golden syrup. People often use a dessert spoon from their cutlery drawer by mistake. A dessert spoon is more than a tablespoon, resulting in flapjacks that are too soft and don't set properly.
- Make sure you firmly pack down the flapjack mixture into the tin to ensure they stick together, and don't crumble when cut.
- Allow the flapjacks to cool completely before cutting into squares. To speed up the process you can place the tin in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Add 75g of dried fruit to the oat mixture. Raisins or chopped apricots would work well.
- Swap the golden syrup for honey.
- Love cinnamon. Double the amount!
- Swap the apples for pears and chopped stem ginger for delicious pear and ginger flapjacks.
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Tara Teaspoon
These are great for kids, but also those of us on the go in the mornings. So taTasty and easy to make. The apple adds wonderful flavor.
Michelle
Loved the flavour from these apple flapjacks -- we've got lots of apples to use, so making this recipe again soon!
Toni
These are amazing! My kids really loved it!
Tavo
It was delicious! I am an apple pie fan, and this recipe truly delivered! So yummy!
Emily
I’m so happy it’s apple season and these apple bars really hit the spot! So flavorful and my kids loved them!