These school-canteen-style old-fashioned flapjacks are lovely and chewy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. A nostalgic oaty-buttery snack with plenty of golden syrup. I can’t resist a corner piece with a nice cup of tea!

I love this nostalgic sweet treat! I think eating squidgy, sweet flapjacks from the school canteen is a universal fond memory for a lot of people.
Even now I find myself craving that sweet, syrupy flavour. They are also surprisingly easy to make (only 5 ingredients!) and perfect to have alongside a lovely cuppa!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients

Porridge Oats – Porridge oats, Rolled oats or Old-Fashioned Oats are all fine for these flapjacks, but don’t use steel-cut oats or instant porridge oats (see notes below for more info).
How to make it:
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
- First, preheat the oven, and in the meantime cut the parchment paper as seen below to line the baking tray more snugly. We want a bot of an overhang so it’s easy to pull the flapjacks out of the tin once cooked.


- Next, melt the butter in a pan. Turn off the heat and mix the rest of the ingredients in thoroughly.
- Transfer into the lined baking tray and flatten it down until its even on top and well compacted.
- Cook in the oven until the edges are golden, then let it cool in the tin for at least 4 hours.

- Once completely cooled, remove from the tray, remove the baking parchment and cut into even squares.
Pro Tip
It’s important to let the flapjacks cool completely (at room temp) in the tin once cooked so they maintain their structure and don’t fall apart when you cut them. Four hours is good, overnight is even better.
You can see the edges are a darker golden colour – this means the edges are firmer and a little more chewy, whilst the centre is softer. Personally I love a corner piece 😍

Pin this now to find it later
Pin It🤔 Got lots of oats?
- If you have some leftover oats, why not make these:
- Banana Oat Cookies
- Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- Coconut Granola
I like to make a double batch of these to save for later (they keep well and you can freeze too), but they get eaten SO quickly in my household.

🍲 More fantastic sweet treats
? Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they keep for 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature. I like to layer mine between baking parchment to prevent flapjacks from sticking together.
Yes, layer in between pieces of baking parchment and freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag. Defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
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Flapjack Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g (2 sticks in the USA) unsalted butter
- 160 g (3/4 packed cup) light brown sugar
- 160 ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
- 400 g (4 cups) porridge oats or rolled oats (not jumbo or steel-cut oats)
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/320F(fan).
- Line a 20cmx20cm(9×9”), 5cm(2”) deep baking tin with baking parchment, leaving a 1-2cm overhang (so you can lift the flapjacks out later).
- Melt the butter over a medium heat in a large saucepan.200 g (2 sticks in the USA) unsalted butter
- Once melted, turn off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients to the pan.160 g (3/4 packed cup) light brown sugar, 160 ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup, 400 g (4 cups) porridge oats or rolled oats, ¼ tsp salt
- Stir together to combine, then transfer to the prepared baking tin.
- Flatten out with the back of a spoon in an even layer and and press firmly to compact the mixture. Place in the oven for 23-25 minutes, until golden at the edges. (NOTE 1)
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely (at least 4 hours) in the tin at room temperature.
- Once cool, remove from the tin, using the edges of the baking parchment to lift the flapjack out.
- Transfer to a chopping board, peel off the baking parchment and slice into squares, then serve.
Video
Notes
Note 1 – The Golden Colour
Once cooked the edges of the flapjack should be a nice golden colour and the rest should be very lightly golden. This will give you those signature chewy edges and soft centre of a traditional British flapjack.Storage
Keeps for 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature. I like to layer mine between pieces of baking parchment to prevent the flapjacks sticking together.Can they be frozen?
Yes, layer in between pieces of baking parchment and freeze in an air tight container or freezer bag. Defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature.Note on the oats
Porridge oats, Rolled oats or Old-Fashioned Oats are all fine for these flapjacks. Porridge oats are made from medium-ground oats and tend to have a mixture of full oat flakes and smaller bits. They’re finer and smoother in texture than rolled oats. Porridge oats and rolled oats (also known as old-fashioned oats) are lightly roasted, steamed and rolled into flakes. Sometimes brands of porridge oats have a mixture of full oat flakes and smaller bits for quicker cooking. Don’t use steel cut oats or instant porridge oats. Steel cut oats are oats that have been lightly roasted and chopped. They’re not steamed, so they’re firmer and chewier and take longer to cook. I don’t use these as they can make the flapjacks to hard and chewy and more likely to fall apart. Instant oats are porridge oats that have been cut into smaller flakes for quicker cooking. I don’t use these as they can make the flapjacks more gluey than chewy.Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipe makes 16 servings).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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THESE ARE KNOWN AS RICKETY UNCLES IN THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES.