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Do you love chocolate and flapjacks? If so, then our chocolate flapjack recipe is perfect for you!
This British classic is made with only five ingredients: butter, sugar, golden syrup, rolled oats and chocolate.
It's a super easy recipe to follow; no skills are required; just a little patience, and you will have incredibly delicious chocolate flapjacks.
After the success of our golden syrup flapjacks recipe, we decided to add a chocolate topping. Use white, milk or dark chocolate or a mixture swirled together. Or you may prefer a fruit flapjack.
Jump to:
- History
- Ingredients for Chocolate Flapjacks
- Equipment
- Instructions
- Cooking Time
- How to Melt chocolate
- Setting Time
- How to Cut Flapjack
- 📖 Step by Step Recipe
- Storage
- Serving Suggestions
- More Chocolate Recipes
- 💬 Reviews
History
First, let's start with the history of flapjack recipes in the United Kingdom.
They were created as a way to use up leftover porridge oats made with only four ingredients: butter, sugar, golden syrup and oats.
We add chocolate on top for an extra sweet treat recipe.
Ingredients for Chocolate Flapjacks
With only five ingredients, it's a quick recipe to make. You will need the following to make chocolate flapjacks.
Butter
We use unsalted butter for this recipe. You can add a little salt if you like? It doesn't need to be room temperature as the butter will melt in the pan.
Golden Syrup
Golden syrup is a classic British ingredient in flapjacks and adds to the flavour; you could substitute it with honey or agave.
Sugar
I like to use light brown sugar; golden caster sugar will also give a lovely caramel flavour.
Porridge Oats
Instant oats or quick oats will produce a more soft, tender texture, which is better for children.
Jumbo rolled oats (as used in this post) or old-fashioned oats will produce a chewy firmer flapjack.
Chocolate
I use Menier cooking milk chocolate for this recipe; you can use dark chocolate or white chocolate.
I find the kids prefer milk chocolate flapjacks and the adults like the dark.
You could even make a marble topping by mixing two different chocolates on top of the flapjacks.
Cooking chocolate melts better than standard chocolate bars as they have a lower cocoa butter content.
But if that's all you have, it will work; be sure to chop it into small pieces, work quickly with it and do not overheat.
Equipment
Not much is needed to create these chocolate flapjacks at home.
Baking Tin
I have used a loose-bottomed 8x8 inch baking tin (20x20cm) to bake my flapjacks.
I recommend using this size to create an absolutely delicious thick layer of oats and chocolate topping on your flapjacks.
Using a larger baking tin or a baking tray will result in a thinner flapjack, and you may need more chocolate topping.
Using a loose bottom tin also helps make them easier to remove from the baking tin.
Line the tin with parchment paper or baking paper. Pictures are shown here for how to line your tin quickly and efficiently, which helps make it easier to remove.
Use the loose bottom to measure and cut corners away.
Return the bottom to the pan, fold the sides to where you have cut, place the square into the tin and pull up the sides to hang over the edges.
Wilton Baking Strips (optional)
I also use Wilton baking strips which you wet down with cold water before poping around the outside of the tin. The strips can be seen in the pictures of the flapjacks in the oven.
They help keep the outside of the baking tray cooler, ensuring the flapjacks' edges don't cook quicker than the rest.
They are also my favourite things to help create even baked sponges, as seen in my chocolate victoria sponge cake.
So if you love baking, I highly recommend the investment.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°c / 160°c fan/gas mark 4 / 350 °F.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup together over low to medium heat, and constantly mix with a spoon until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from the heat and stir in the oats until they are evenly covered.
If using dried fruits, chocolate chips, or other extras, mix them in now too.
Transfer the oat mixture into the 8x8 inch / 20x20 cm prepared tin and spread the mixture evenly.
Cooking Time
Bake flapjacks in a preheated oven (180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4/350 °F) for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the edges; you don't want them to overcook.
They will not look much different from when they went in the oven.
It is normal for them to be soft still, remember, butter won't turn solid until it cools!
Leave to cool slightly still in the tray for about 30 minutes before adding your chocolate topping.
How to Melt chocolate
There are two ways to melt the chocolate for topping flapjacks; my preferred method is using a bain-marie as it's foolproof and very gentle.
Microwave is the second option, but it's much easier to overheat and seize chocolate this way so take it slowly!
Bain-Marie / Double Boiler
If you have one, great! If not, no worry; you can make your own using a glass pyrex bowl or a metal mixing bowl with a saucepan.
The bowl and saucepan should be a close fit; you don't want a big gap between the bowl and the saucepan, nor do you want a bowl that is too big and tipping off the pan.
Add enough water to the saucepan to create steam. It doesn't need to be touching the mixing bowl.
Place chocolate in the bowl and heat over medium-low heat, stirring the chocolate until melted and smooth.
The chocolate melts in the top bowl from the gentle heat of the water's steam. Melting chocolate in this way prevents the chocolate from burning or seizing up.
Microwave
Another way is to melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at a low temperature in 30-second intervals, stirring between intervals until smooth. Be careful not to overheat the chocolate, as it will seize and ruin it.
Pour the melted chocolate over the cool-to-touch flapjacks and spread evenly using a spatula.
Tap the tray against the worktop a few times to remove air bubbles in the chocolate.
Setting Time
Place into the fridge and allow the chocolate flapjacks to set until rock hard in the refrigerator. It must cool completely before cutting.
The setting will take at least 40 minutes, but the longer, the better!
How to Cut Flapjack
Once your chocolate flapjacks have cooled, and the chocolate has set rock hard, you can cut them into even-sized squares or bars.
I cut mine to make 16 individual chocolate flapjacks; they are very sweet, so you could even cut them into smaller bite-sized squares.
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Chocolate Flapjacks
Luke and Kay - Flawless Food
Chocolate flapjacks are a sweet British treat made with only five ingredients: butter, sugar, golden syrup, porridge oats and chocolate.
Follow along with this chocolate flapjacks recipe, it's easy to make and so delicious!
A little patience is needed to let the flapjacks cool, add your favourite melted chocolate topping and allow it to set hard in the fridge before cutting into chocolate oat bars or squares.
Use a 8 x 8 inches /20 x 20 cm square loose bottom baking tin for best results. You can use a larger tray, but they will be thinner.
4.92 from 58 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Cooling time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
Course Afternoon Tea, Cake, Kids, picnic, Snack, Vegetarian
Cuisine British
Servings 16 Squares
Calories 358 kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 200 gram Light Brown sugar
- 250 gram Butter
- 5 tablespoon Golden Syrup
- 350 gram Oats
- 300 gram Chocolate
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°c / 160°c fan / gas mark 4 / 350 °F. Line 8x8 inch (20x20cm) baking tin with parchment paper. See blog post for advice.
Over medium-low heat melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan together.
200 gram Light Brown sugar, 250 gram Butter, 5 tablespoon Golden Syrup
Stir until all melted do not allow the mixture to bubble
Turn off the heat, and pour in the oats.
Stir until the oats are well coated.
350 gram Oats
Transfer flapjack mixture into the lined tin.
Push the mixture firmly into the tin with a spatula.
Bake in preheated oven at 180°c / 160°c fan / gas mark 4 / 350 °F for 15 minutes.
The flapjacks may be slightly coloured on the edges but should still look similar to how they went in. Do not overbake.
Remove from the oven, the mix will still be soft to touch, don't worry it firms during cooling.
Leave at room temperature in the tin for about 30 minutes before melting the chocolate.
Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie / double boiler or in a mixing bowl over a saucepan of hot water.
Or on low temperature in the microwave stirring often.
300 gram Chocolate
See the blog post for more advice on what chocolate to use and the best ways to melt it.
Pour melted chocolate over the cooked flapjack.
Spread the melted chocolate to the edges. Place the whole tin in the fridge to set.
The longer the better, I recommend 2 hours+ to get the best results and clean cuts.
Once completely cooled and firm, remove from the tin and pull the baking paper away.
We cut ours into 16 equal-sized squares.
Best served at room temperature. If not serving straight away keep in the fridge until required.
See the blog post for more storage advice.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 358kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 4gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 108mgPotassium: 153mgFiber: 3gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 390IUCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg
Keyword chocolate flapjack, chocolate flapjacks, chocolate layer flapjack, milk chocolate flapjack
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Storage
Chocolate flapjacks are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge, where they can be kept for up to one week.
Can you freeze flapjacks?
They can also freeze them for up to three months. Wrap each chocolate flapjack with cling film and store them in an airtight freezer container to prevent freezer burn. Defrost at room temperature.
Serving Suggestions
Chocolate flapjacks are best served at room temperature as they are softer and easier to chew.
So, remove them from the fridge a couple of hours before enjoying your chocolate flapjacks as a sweet snack or dessert; try adding a drizzle of our chocolate sauce.
Chocolate flapjacks also make an excellent gift for friends, family or teachers!
Optional Extras
This chocolate flapjack recipe is sweet enough, in my opinion, but you could also add any of the following either on top or in with the oat mix.
Nuts
You can add chopped almonds, hazelnuts or pecans; all work well.
Coconut
You can add a sprinkle of desiccated coconut for a lovely tropical twist.
Dried fruit
Try can add raisins, sultanas or even dried cranberries. I like to add a handful of chopped dates for an extra special treat.
Chocolate Chips
Add chocolate chips to the flapjack mixture or on top of the melted chocolate topping. White chocolate chips look great on top of a milk chocolate flapjack.
Salt
Add a pinch of salt to your flapjack mixture for a savoury edge. Or some salt flakes on top of the melted dark chocolate flapjack before setting.
More Chocolate Recipes
If you love this chocolate flapjacks recipe, check out some of our other chocolate recipes.
Chocolate Cornflake Cakes - Ridiculously easy with no baking involved!
Chocolate Chip Rock Buns - Another classic British baking recipe.
Milk Chocolate Truffles - We share how to make your own truffles.
Chocolate Chip Brownies - Delicious double chocolate brownies!
Let us know what your favourite chocolate recipe is?