Chocolate Chip Flapjacks

Soft and chewy chocolate chip flapjacks are guaranteed to be a popular addition to your biscuit tin. Caramelised oat bars with chucks of sweet chocolate, these classic British flapjacks are a simple bake with ingredients you are likely to have in your kitchen already.

I have been making oaty flapjacks for over 30 years, together with chocolate tiffin and cheese scones, they were a very regular bake in our house. One that never lasted longer than a couple of days in the biscuit tin, as it was just too tasty to resist! Traditional English flapjacks are more buttery and rich than oaty biscuits, and are not to be confused with the Canadian flapjack which is a type of pancake.

Jump to:

• Why we love this recipe
• Ingredients notes and substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• FAQ
• My recipe tips
• Storage
• Variations
• Other easy slices / tray bake recipes for you
• Chocolate Chip Flapjacks

Why we love this recipe

• This flapjack recipe is made from simple store cupboard ingredients.
• Very quick and easy to make – just melt and mix.
• Flapjacks with golden syrup are chewy, with a taste of toffee, and those crispy edge pieces have you wondering if you can have two pieces – one for the edges and one for the chewy centres that are light butterscotch in taste.
• Being oat bars, these easy chocolate chip flapjacks travel well (once cold!) so are a great addition to lunchboxes, or picnic item.
• They are always a popular addition to bake sales and make a lovely gift.

Ingredients notes and substitutions

• Oats – I like to use a combination of porridge oats and quick cook oats. I think it makes the perfect flapjack – with a little chew from oats, but not too much. You can use all quick cook oats, which produces a slightly cakier flapjack. I would personally advise against make a flapjack with all rolled oats as they oats can take some chewing, but that is down to personal taste.
• Sugar – soft brown sugar. Using light soft brown sugar adds a butterscotch flavour to the flapjack bars and makes them slightly softer in texture.
• Golden syrup – Tate and Lyle golden syrup is the star of old-school flapjacks, however they will work with other brands of golden syrups.
• Butter – for buttery flapjacks unsalted butter is best. Because it’s melted before adding to the oats you don’t have to remember to take it out of the fridge. You can make flapjacks with margarine if you prefer.
• Chocolate chips – milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips, or roughly chop 80g (2.5oz) of dark chocolate or milk chocolate if you don’t have chocolate chips.

How to make this recipe

• Preheat the oven.
• Line a 20 cm x 20 cm (8 inch x 8 inch) tin with baking paper / baking parchment.
• In a medium sized saucepan melt the butter with sugar and golden syrup over a low to medium heat.
• Take the pan off the heat and stir in the oats. You want it to be mixed well.
• Pour the flapjack mixture in to the lined tin.
• Sprinkle over the chocolate chips and place in to the oven to bake.
• Leave for a few minutes before slicing into squares or bars with a sharp knife.
• Resist the urge to take a piece before it’s completely cooled. Leave in the tin until it is cold!

FAQ

My recipe tips

• Don’t stir the chocolate chips in to the flapjack batter. It will be hot from the melted butter and sugar and will therefore melt the chocolate and you will have a sweet chocolate flapjack – which will taste good – but will not be a flapjack with chocolate chips.
• Don’t forget to mark in to bars whilst warm, otherwise they can become too hard to cut.
• On the flip side, don’t be tempted to remove it from the tin before it has completely cooled. It will remain soft and crumbly and fall apart in your hands if you do so.

Storage

• Room temperature: These oaty flapjacks will keep in an airtight container or tin at room temperature for up to 5 days.
• Freezer: wrap the flapjacks well to reduce risk of freezer burn and freeze for up to 2 months.

Variations

• Spice – half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon adds some warmth and spice to these chocolate flapjacks.
• Vanilla – some people like to add vanilla to their homemade flapjacks. Whilst I personally like them plain, if you want to add vanilla stir half a teaspoon of vanilla essence or extract into the warmed butter before adding the oats.

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