Nutty Brown Butter Flapjacks

Give classic golden syrup flapjacks a serious upgrade by making them with nutty brown butter! This batch is quick to make with a chewy texture and loads of mix ins.

These brown butter flapjacks are a grown up version of the classic British treat. I’ve taken a batch of regular golden syrup oat flapjacks and added in a load of flavour by making them with brown butter, buckwheat flour and brown sugar. Plus a generous amount of mix ins that can be customised to suit your tastes.

Growing up, oat flapjacks were a staple packed lunch snack as I’m sure they were for a lot of people in the UK. I much prefer soft, chewy flapjacks over crunchy ones, so that’s what I’ve gone for with this recipe. They’re not overly sweet like some flapjacks tend to be and the brown butter gives them a rich, nutty caramelised flavour that complements the buttery, caramel flavour from the golden syrup.

Browning the butter does only take a few extra minutes compared to just melting and the results really do speak for themself. I’ve thrown in a few other handy tips and tricks too, for making perfectly set flapjacks with as many mix ins as possible. This recipe comes together in no time at all and your flapjacks will keep for several days, so you really can’t go wrong!

For more cakes, bars, cookies and more, take a look at our ever growing collection of baking recipes!

British vs American Flapjacks – What’s The Difference?

In this recipe, we’re making British flapjacks which are completely different from American flapjacks. Both taste great but to avoid confusion, here’s the differences…

British flapjacks are similar to granola bars and are baked as a traybake then cut into pieces, once cool. These are traditionally made of oats, golden syrup, butter and sugar but can also contain flour, nuts, dried fruit & sometimes, chocolate.

American flapjacks on the other hand are fluffy pancakes that are cooked on a griddle. They are also sometimes called hotcakes or griddlecakes.

Why You’ll Love This Flapjack Recipe!

• Homemade flapjacks make a great snack and are perfect for a packed lunch.
• They’re incredibly quick and easy to make!
• You can change the nuts, seeds and dried fruit, to suit your personal preference.
• These flapjacks aren’t overly sweet and taste super nutty!
• Browning the butter instead of just melting only takes a few minutes and adds loads more flavour.
• Flapjacks will keep for several days in an airtight container, so are perfect for making ahead of time.

Ingredients For Brown Butter Flapjacks

• Butter – To control how much salt goes into our flapjacks, we’re using unsalted butter. Unsalted butter is also easier to make into brown butter because it won’t foam as much whilst cooking.
• Golden Syrup – A classic abd important flapjack ingredient! Golden syrup adds sweetness, binds the oats together and gives flapjack it’s signature, caramelised flavour.
• Porridge Oats – For the best results, make sure to use porridge oats for this recipe. These are also sometimes called rolled oats.
• Sugar – To amplify the caramelised flavour, we’re using light brown sugar in our flapjacks. If you’d prefer a stronger, deeper flavour, you could use dark brown sugar instead.
• Buckwheat Flour – Contrary to its name, buckwheat is actually part of the rhubarb family and is gluten free. Buckwheat adds a nutty flavour to our flapjack and helps bind the oat and syrup mix together without making it too soft.
• Dried Fruit – The type of dried fruit you use for this recipe is entirely up to you! I’ve used equal amounts of raisins and sultanas but you could use apricots, dates or even sour cherries.
• Nuts – Like with the fruit, the type of nuts used are also down to personal preference. I went with roughly chopped walnuts and half a teaspoon of almond extract which I find adds extra crunch and a subtle nutty flavour.
• Pumpkin Seeds – We’re adding pumpkin seeds into our flapjack for some extra crunch! If you’re not a fan of pumpkin seeds, you could use sunflower seeds or extra nuts instead.
• Salt – To improve the flavour of our flapjacks, we’re adding a small amount of table salt into the mix. Using unsalted butter allows us to add just the right amount of salt to our flapjacks.

How To Make Nutty Brown Butter Flapjacks

Classic British golden syrup flapjacks, made with brown butter for an extra nutty, caramelised flavour. This is an easy way to turn a tasty flapjack into something seriously special!

1. Brown Butter

First, you need to make some brown butter. To do this, chop butter into evenly sized pieces, add into a large saucepan then set over a medium heat. Cook the butter, stirring regularly until it turns golden brown & smells nutty.

For a more in depth guide to brown butter, take a look at my how to make brown butter post!

2. Mix In Syrup and Butter

As soon as the brown butter is ready, take the pan off the heat, add in light brown sugar and golden syrup then mix until smooth. Adding the syrup in straight away prevents the brown butter from burning and they’ll be enough residual heat in the pan to dissolve the sugar.

3. Add In Dry Ingredients

Next, add in the oats, buckwheat flour, salt, dried fruit, seeds and nuts into the syrup and butter mix. Give it a good to stir to combine and distribute the mix ins then tip the mix into a lined 8″ square baking tin.

4. Press Mix Into Tin

Before baking, you need to gently press the flapjack into a flat, even layer. The best way to do this is with a palette knife or a spoon. Make sure to spread the mix right into the corners of the tin!

5. Bake

Bake the flapjack at 170°c/338°f for 20-25 minutes, until the tip is golden brown but the flapjack is still soft. Then once cooked, let the flapjacks cool completely in the tin. They’ll continue to set and firm up as they cool.

6. Cut Into Pieces

Once cool, carefully transfer the flapjack to a chopping board, remove any baking parchment then use a sharp, serrated knife to cut into portions.

For generous portions, cut into 9 squares or for more bitesize pieces, cut into 16. Or cut the flapjack into rectangular or triangle pieces, whatever you like best! Make sure to store your flapjacks in an airtight container and they’re best eaten within 3 days.

Flapjack Variations

The great thing about homemade flapjacks is that the nuts, seeds and dried fruit are all interchangeable! You could even add in some chocolate. Here’s some ideas…

• Apricot, pistachios and white chocolate
• Almonds and sour cherries
• Dates, coconut and dark chocolate
• Pecans and dark brown sugar
• Leftover Christmas pudding

If you’ve made a variation of this recipe, we’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Flapjack Tips and Tricks

• Don’t overcook your flapjack, it will set as it cools! Flapjacks should be golden brown and soft when they come out of the oven and will firm up slightly as they cool.
• Gently press the flapjack into the tin with a palette knife. This helps it keep its’ shape once cooked.
• Let the flapjack cool in the tin before cutting into portions. If you try to take flapjack out of the tin whilst it is still warm, it will fall apart.
• Using a sharp, serrated knife makes portioning the flapjack easier.
• Flapjack mix ins are completely customisable, so add in whatever nuts, seeds, dried fruit or chocolate you like best!

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Bake Flapjacks In An Aga

With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas.

To cook flapjacks in an Aga, bake them in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown but still slightly soft. Use the boiling plate to cook the brown butter.

More Baking Recipes To Try

• Caramelised Cornflake Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Brown Butter Golden Syrup Loaf Cake
• Almond Angel Cake Slices
• Thin Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Stroopwafel Biscoff Rocky Road
• Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

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