Leftover Christmas Pudding Flapjack
These homemade flapjacks are incredibly squidgy, chewy & easy to make. They’re also a fantastic way to use up leftover Christmas pudding.
We’ve taken a batch of classic English flapjacks & folded a generous amount of leftover Christmas pudding through the syrup & oats before baking them. They’re soft, chewy, squidgy, fruity & full of festive flavours! The perfect festive bake to make on Boxing Day using Christmas leftovers…
For more festive recipes, take a look at our collection of Christmas recipes! There’s lots to choose from here like our Guinness Christmas pudding, classic mince pies & stollen buns. Plus everything you need to make the ultimate homemade Christmas dinner…
Chewy vs Crunchy Flapjacks
There’s 2 camps when it comes to flapjacks; soft & chewy or crisp & crunchy. I personally like to make my flapjacks soft, chewy & squidgy (like they are in this recipe)!
Soft & chewy flapjacks are baked for less time & often contain a small amount of flour (this helps make them chewy) whereas crunchy flapjacks are baked for longer, sometimes at a slightly higher temperature & in a shallower tin. To make these Christmas pudding flapjacks more on the crunchy side, simply bake them for 5 minutes longer.
What You’ll Need
- Christmas Pudding – This recipe is a great way to use up leftover Christmas pudding! I used leftovers from my Guinness Christmas pudding but any type will work.
- Porridge Oats – Porridge/rolled oats work best for flapjacks. We’re going to be blending some of these into an oat flour as well which helps make our flapjacks chewy.
- Butter – We’re using unsalted butter for this recipe so we can control the salt content.
- Golden Syrup – One of the main ingredients in all flapjack recipes! This is available in most supermarkets.
- Sugar – These flapjacks use light brown sugar for a richer, caramelised flavour.
- Salt – Adding sea salt to our flapjacks improves their flavour.
- Lemon Zest – A touch of lemon zest helps cut through all of that sugar!
How To Make Christmas Pudding Flapjacks
The full, printable recipe card for these flapjacks can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…
You’ll need an 8″ square baking tin for this recipe, which has been lined with baking parchment.
- Blend Oats
First, we need to take some of our oats & blend them in a food processor into a coarse powder. This is oat flour & helps give our flapjacks structure. We set this aside for now. - Warm Sugar & Butter
Next, we add golden syrup into a large pan with sugar, butter, lemon zest & sea salt then we warm this over a low heat, until the butter has melted & the sugar has dissolved. This will only take a couple of minutes! - Mix In Oats
Once melted, we take the butter & syrup off the heat & stir in a mix of whole & blended oats. The oats should all be covered in the syrup mixture. - Fold In Christmas Pudding
Next, we fold pieces of Christmas pudding through the flapjack mix, transfer it into a lined 8″ square tin then we use a palette knife to press it into a flat, even layer. - Bake
The flapjacks get baked at 170°c/338°f for 20-25 minutes until they’re golden brown but still slightly soft.
If you like your flapjacks crunchier, bake them for 5-10 minutes longer. You can also bake them in a slightly larger tin, to make them thinner & extra crunchy. - Cut Into Portions
Once cooked, we let the flapjacks cool completely in the tin then use a sharp, serrated knife to cut into 9 equal squares.
Flapjack Tips & Tricks
- Make your flapjacks with porridge oats to give them a soft, squidgy texture.
- Use a mix of whole & blended oats (oat flour) to give your flapjacks structure. This helps your flapjacks keep their shape when you cut them into portions.
- Add a good pinch of sea salt into your flapjack mix, to season & bring out all the flavours.
- Bake the flapjacks until they’re golden brown but still soft – it will set up as it cools.
- Let your flapjacks cool completely in tin, before cutting into portions.
Frequently Asked Questions
To cook flapjack in an Aga, use the simmering plate to warm the syrup then cook the flapjack in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners.
Porridge oats (also called rolled oats) work best for flapjacks, as their smaller size ensures proper syrup coverage. This means that your flapjacks will be soft yet still hold their shape when cut into portions. I also like to blend some of the oats into a flour which helps bind our flapjack mix together.
To keep them fresh, flapjacks should be stored in an airtight container & are best eaten within 3 days. To stop the flapjacks sticking together, separate the layers with baking parchment.
If you like your flapjacks more on the crunchy side, bake them for longer (around 5-10 minutes in this recipe). Slightly underbaked flapjacks will be soft & squidgy whereas ones that are baked for longer will be crisper.
More Festive Recipes To Try!
- Classic Mince Pies
- Filo Mince Pies With Almond Streusel
- Stollen Buns
- Caramelised Onion Sausage Rolls With Apricot Wensleydale
- Guinness Christmas Pudding
- Deep Fried Camembert
- Leftover Christmas Dinner Pie
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Leftover Christmas Pudding Flapjack
Equipment
- 8" Square Baking Tin
- Large Saucepan
- Microplane/Grater
Ingredients
- 350 g Porridge Oats
- 180 g Golden Syrup
- 180 g Unsalted Butter
- 140 g Light Brown Sugar
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- 1 Lemon (Zested)
- 225 g Christmas Pudding (Cut Into 1cm Chunks – See Notes)
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 170°c/150°c fan (338°f/302°f).
- Grease & line an 8" square baking tin then set to one side.
- Add 100 grams of the porridge oats into a food processor/blender then blend into a coarse powder. Set this aside for now.
- Next, add the golden syrup, butter, light brown sugar, salt & lemon zest into a large saucepan then set over a low heat. Cook, stirring regularly until the butter has melted & the sugar has dissolved then take off the heat.Be careful not to overcook the sugar – it will only take a few minutes to dissolve.
- Add the porridge oats (both whole & blended) into the syrup then stir well to coat.
- Fold the Christmas pudding pieces into the flapjack mix then tip into the lined tin. Use a palette knife to press the flapjack down into a flat, even layer then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown but still soft.For crunchier flapjacks, bake for 5-10 minutes longer.
- Let the flapjacks cool completely in the tin then use a sharp serrated knife to cut into 9 squares.
