best flapjack recipe: does it exist?

[sonsmum]

If I use rolled oats, the flapjack is dense, firm but a little tasteless.
If i use jumbo oats, the flapjack falls apart.
I had a recipe that used both types of oats, but alas I have lost the recipe!
I can't re-create it, and am wasting oats, golden syrup, sugar and baking marg on sub-standard results.
My flapjacks tend to turn into granola .
Please share your foolproof flapjack recipes, including what temperature you put the oven on at, cooking time, and size of baking tin, thanks!
I have sporty kids and flapjacks are a perfect pre-sport snack!

The only flapjack recipe I will use is the one in “Usborne farmyard tales children’s cookbook”.
6oz marg (or butter, both work)
6oz Demerara sugar (or soft brown)
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
8oz oats (I always use regular oats).
7x11 inch shallow tin.
Oven 160c.
Marg, sugar and syrup in a pan, melt together. Pour melted mix into the oats, mix well. Tip into tin and spread out. Bake 18-25 mins (depends on the oven).
I have never had this recipe go wrong, sometimes I add stuff like fruit or desiccated coconut and it’s still fine.

Why, yes it does exist...

250g porridge oats (the cheap type, not large ones),
150g Butter,
2 generous tablespoons (75g) Golden Syrup
half a tin condensed milk

baking tin, no bigger than about 18cm x 28cm

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees c

1. Line the baking tin with baking parchment.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the syrup. Keep gently heating and stirring until all is melted and mixed.
3. Add the condensed milk and mix. Bring to the boil for about a minute. If I'm honest, I just bung the milk in at step 3.
4. Remove from the heat and gradually add the oats, folding them in. All the oats should be coated, and the mixture quite dense, but still sticky. Don't add so many oats that the mixture becomes dry.
5. Pour the mixture into the tins and spread about so that it lines the tin to a depth of 2-3cm. Don't squash the mixture in, just spread it evenly.
6. Bake in the oven for about 15mins. You should take them out when they just start to go brown round the edges, don't leave longer than this. If they're still squidgy in the middle that's fine, they set on cooling.

Use butter. Marge is tasteless.

@SoupDragon of all the things I've learnt on MN, this is best one. It never fails and it's delicious.

This beats everything as a base. We put pumpkin and sunflower seeds in for crunch.

The condensed milk is a game changer.

Seconded.

@SoupDragon 's recipe is legendary but weirdly I have only just made it today, literally just taken it out of the oven. It seems very promising from the spoon lick I did before it went into the oven. Will report back when I have collected Ds2 from sixth form.

@SoupDragon does a klaxon go off I. Your house when there's a flapjack thread ? You are legendary. I make yours now all the time and my newly diagnosed coeliac child loves them. The GF oats are £££ but he eats every crumb!
Love them so much

I make nutty ones.

250g unsalted butter
180g soft brown sugar
100ml maple syrup
2 tablespoons peanut butter
300g rolled oats ( sorry it works 🤷‍♀️ )
100g Quinoa flakes
100g Fonio
150g crushed mixed nuts, we use walnuts and macadamia.

Melt all the butter first on low heat then add the sugar, syrup and peanut butter, mix until all dissolved.
Smash the nuts if whole in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin, take off the heat.
Add the dry ingredients and stir until everything is coated.

Pour into a lined 9 X 9 cake tin, spread lightly with a fork into the corners and so the top is even but don't press down too much.

Bake on 150°C for 30-40 mins until the edges are golden brown, leave to set for 5 mins and whilst still too hot to touch score into 16 pieces and leave to cool completely before cutting through the scores.
They will be thick and square pieces of flapjack, about 1.5inches.

What the devil is Fonio?

@SoupDragon is that 160C regular or fan? I now have a new plan for the weekend 😁

I want to find the recipe that my school canteen made in the 1980s. Crunchy on top, squidgy in the middle, layer of toffee-like caramel on the bottom. Bloody amazing they were.

I was a flapjack making virgin but used @SoupDragon 's recipe last week after a similar thread. They. Were. Epic.

I made @SoupDragon 's ones last week and they were definitely the best I've ever made. I doubled the ingredients because I didn't know what else to do with half a tin a condensed milk.

@MotherofPearl it's an African grain, the smallest from the millet family.

Yep, definitely SoupDragon's recipe. Condensed milk is where it's at.

@SoupDragon’s recipe every time

I’m drooling now!
*potters off to buy condensed milk, whistling nonchalantly.

Likewise! My attempt at the National Trust recipe at the weekend was like granola so I'll be trying SoupDragon's next!!

What’s a good one without condensed milk?

It's like the signal in Batman.

Fan in my case but, TBH, I doubt it matters much. Just cook them til they meet the description in the last step.

I'm not a great cook and follow my mum's rule for everything which was "just bung it in at 160" I do think the instruction in this case came from the original recipe though.

Great, thanks 😊

So I can't help you on the flapjack disintegration issue, but I can assist in the taste department. DD made flapjacks in normal way and added large quantities of dried apricots and mixed seeds. My God, it was like crack! The whole thing lasted about 30 seconds. Was quite the most delicious thing ever.

@SoupDragon No sugar, is that correct?