Cakes & Bakes: Malted flapjacks

Malted flapjack with mug of tea

Our house is rarely without biscuits of some type or variety; digestives, shortbread, cookies… However, when we’re out for whatever reason, a batch of flapjacks is easy to rustle up. For a twist on my regular recipe, I decided to try making malted flapjacks using medium oatmeal rather than my usual porridge oats.

butter, malt extract and honey in a saucepan Malted flapjacks in a cake tin before going into the oven

This is a ‘no sugar’ recipe, the sweetness comes from honey, the malt extract and natural sugars in the fruit. The dried fruit & nuts I used were sultanas and chopped hazelnuts and walnuts. However, you could use any combination that takes your fancy, or you happen to have in your store cupboard.

Cooked malted flapjack Sliced malted flapjack

A single tablespoon of malt extract – two, tops – will suffice for this recipe. Malt extract is potent stuff, you don’t want the taste to be too overwhelming. Using the medium oatmeal instead of the rolled oats gave a crunchy texture and nutty flavour – I really like it!

Click here or on the image below to save my malted flapjacks recipe to Pinterest

Malted flapjacks recipe

Malted flapjack with mug of tea

Malted flapjacks

Course Snack
Cuisine British

Ingredients
  

  • 125 g unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  • 1 tbsp malt extract
  • 400 g medium oatmeal
  • 75 g chopped fruit & nuts I used a mixture of sultanas, hazelnuts and walnuts

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/Gas mark 3
  • Line a square brownie tin with parchment paper. Set aside
  • In a large saucepan, melt the butter, honey and malt extract over a low heat. Stir occasionally to combine
  • Add the oatmeal and fruit & nuts and combine well. Remove from the heat
  • Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and, using a spatula or serving spoon, level it out pressing down firmly, not forgetting the 4 corners
  • Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the top begins to turn brown
  • Allow the flapjack to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before lifting it out and slicing into portions
Malted flapjacks ingredients
Keyword flapjack, malt, oats

Cakes & Bakes: Flapjack

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Glass jar full of flapjack pieces, plate with two flapjack pieces and green painted tin retro tea enamel advertising sign | H is for Home

I’ve been promising to send my sister-in-law my flapjack recipe for years. I normally make them by eye and consistency but today I poured the ingredients out into a bowl on scales and wrote it all down. I make a batch of them every couple of weeks or so – we have one with a cup of tea in the afternoon or when we don’t fancy a big dessert after our evening meal.

cooked flapjack in a baking tin divided into 9 portions

I usually make them with dried fruit, nuts, seeds, dessicated coconut or crystallised ginger. Anyway, here’s my recipe, Flora, better late than never!

Cakes & Bakes: Flapjacks

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • Basic recipe
  • 175 g vegetable oil
  • 30 g butter
  • 125 g honey or golden syrup
  • 350 g rolled oats
  • optional additional ingredients any one of the following
  • 50 g dessicated coconut
  • 25 g crystalised ginger
  • 50 g dried fruit currents, raisins, sultanas, cranberries, blueberries, dates, figs or a mix of all of these
  • 50 g seeds and/or nuts linseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnut pieces, pecan, pieces, crushed hazelnuts, flaked almonds or a mix of all of these - the nuts are better if pre-roasted in the oven for a few minutes until lightly browned

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2
  • Put the oil with the butter into a large saucepan on a low heat. When the butter has melted, add the honey / golden syrup to the oil mixture and stir to mix
  • Turn off the heat, add the oats (and optional ingredients) and mix well
  • Put the mixture into a 23cm/9inch shallow square cake tin and flatten down firmly with the back of a serving spoon
  • Put into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned
  • Allow to cool in the tin then cut into squares or finger-shaped portions