Soft, chewy and absolutely delicious, these raspberry white chocolate flapjacks are the ultimate traybake recipe. If you’re looking for a twist on a classic flapjack then you’ve found it, with fresh raspberries and white chocolate chunks they are super easy to make and the kids can get stuck in too. Go ahead and give them a go!
Lou’s recipe overview
SKILL: Beginner
TASTE: Sweet and buttery with a raspberry sharpness
PROS: That taste in EVERY bite
CONS: Absolutely none
Where are all my chewy flapjack fans? Hands up because this recipe is for you!
And where are all my soft and butter fans at? Show your hands, as this recipe is for you too!
Yes, whether you’re a lovely of chewy flapjack edges like me, or love a soft flapjack that crumbles and melts in your mouth, then you are going to absolutely love this twist on a classic flapjack.
Rippled with fresh raspberries and more raspberries on top, this fruity take is paired with white chocolate chunks for the one of the most perfect flavour combinations. If you love my raspberry white chocolate scones, then you’ll going to want to try these as well.
What are flapjacks?
The backbone of a long sunny walks or hiking trips, the thought of a slice of fresh flapjack tucked in my rucksack with a cup of hot coffee from my thermos, would keep me going through wind and rain.
But if you’re not familiar with a flapjack then let me introduce you…
Flapjacks over here in the UK are a golden, soft and chewy granola-style bar made from porridge oats, although over in the US and Canada a flapjack is more like a pancake.
But for this recipe, we’re talking about the British version…
And these beauties are made of four simple ingredients butter, sugar, golden syrup and oats, all combined together and baked until that warm, sweet and buttery smell wafts through the kitchen.
Because they are such a simple basic recipe, there are so many different ways to dress these up with different add-ins like fruit, seeds, nuts etc. But in their purest form they’re just jam-packed with oats.
You’ll love this recipe because…
What more can I tell you that will convince you, you need to try making this lunchbox staple? How about that the…
- Flapjacks are the ultimate super easy to make traybake recipe
- One-bowl mixture which means less washing up – always a bonus!
- Classic flavour combo with white chocolate and fresh raspberries
- Make the flapjacks your own and swap out the add-ins for your favourites
- Can be easily adapted for gluten-free or vegan alternatives
Once you’ve given these flapjacks a go, you’ll be utterly hooked!
What you’ll need to make this recipe
View my Amazon shopping list with equipment and ingredients
Ok, so the most easiest traybake recipe ever, wouldn’t be complete without some really simple ingredients. Check out your pantry cupboards, I can guarantee you’ve got everything you need.
The Ingredients
The beauty of flapjacks are that once you’ve got that oaty base nailed then you can easily adapt it with different add-ins or toppings, a thick layer of caramel with chocolate was a classic in my teenage years.
Now I prefer a more fruity taste, but there’s still got to be a touch of chocolate. So here’s what I used to make these…
- Raspberries – You can use either fresh or frozen raspberries. I used frozen raspberries that I thawed first as I couldn’t get fresh at the time.
- Rolled Oats or Porridge Oats – Make sure you use just regular rolled oats. Stay away from the powdery instant porridge kind of oats as your flapjacks will just turn to mush. Also avoid jumbo oats as they do not bind together as well and can cause your flapjacks to fall apart.
- Light Soft Brown Sugar – I prefer this to white caster sugar as it gives a slight caramel flavour to the flapjack which works perfectly with the melted butter and syrup
- Golden Syrup – Yes more sugar, it’s the key element to holding the flapjacks together. If you can’t get Golden Syrup then honey or maple syrup work well too. Alternatively a light corn syrup is just as good.
- Unsalted Butter
- White Chocolate Chips
INGREDIENT SWAPS
Gluten-Free: The flapjack ingredients do not contain gluten, but to be completely sure and if you are making them for a coeliac, use gluten-free porridge oats. Remember to double check the ingredient packaging.
Vegan: Coconut oil can be used in place of the butter on an easy 1:1 basis, so 100g of butter would equate to 100g of coconut oil. Remember though it can add a slightly different texture and flavour, so you might want to use a dairy-free or plant-based butter alternative instead.
The Equipment
Now you really don’t need that much equipment to make flapjacks, it truly is a super easy, one bowl mix. All you really need is a large mixing bowl, something to mix it all together with like a rubber spatula and obviously something to bake it in.
For the baking pan, this recipe works well and gives you lovely thick sizes in either
- 10 x 7 inch rectangle pan – This is what I prefer to use
- 8-inch Cake Pan – Ideal if you don’t have a rectangle pan
Recommended ingredients and equipment
How to make the recipe
Full measurements and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card
Ok then, so if you’ve grabbed all your ingredients and equipment then you’re ready to get stuck in and make raspberry white chocolate flapjacks.
This recipe is going to take less than 15 minutes to prepare and get in the oven, so let’s go…
- Gently melt the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup together. You can do this using a medium saucepan over low heat or in the microwave in 30-second blasts. Just be careful not to overheat or burn the mixture.
- Add the porridge oats into a large bowl and pour over the butter mixture. Give everything a really good stir so it’s all mixed together and the oats are coated in the mixture.
- Add in the white chocolate chips and give it a really good stir again.
- Mash two-thirds of the raspberries to a thick pulp with a fork.
- Fill a lined brownie pan or traybake pan with half of the oat mixture and gently press down with the back of a spoon to pack it together.
- Pour over the mashed raspberries and spread out with a spoon or offset spatula.
- Add the remaining oat mixture on top of the raspberries and gently press down again to pack everything together.
- Scatter the remaining raspberries over the flapjack and push down into the oat layer.
- Bake at 180C/350F for 30-35 minutes and allow to cool completely in the tin before cutting into slices.
Step by step live video
Recipe notes and variations
These raspberry white chocolate flapjacks are one of my most favourite tray bakes, and there isn’t really much that can go wrong with them. But if you follow these top tips, then you’ll love them as much as I do.
- Make sure everything is well combined – When mixing together, make sure that all the oats coated in butter and sugar mixture. This will ensure that ehwn the flapjack is baking everything sticks together properly. If your oats are not coated, you’ll end up with dry patches in the flapjack which will cause it to crumble and fall apart.
- Keep an eye on the baking time – Towards the end of the baking time, take a look at the flapjacks, they will start to go a golden caramel cold. When they reach this stage, you’ll have a perfect soft in the middle and chewy at the edges flapjack.
- Don’t overbake the flapjacks – If you’re a fan of chewy flapjacks you’ll want to bake them for an extra 5 minutes, but no longer. If you overbake the flapjacks, they will dry out and become hard and really chewy rather than the soft and chewy texture that we love.
- Let the flapjacks completely cool – I know that that rich, buttery smell when you take the flapjacks out of the oven is to die for, but you’ve got to wait before you get stuck into them. Firstly all that sugar will mean they are very hot, but also if you cut them too soon they will fall apart. So leave the flapjack in the tin until it is completely cool, then you can cut them into slices and take a bite.
Frequently asked questions
The flapjacks will keep for 3-5 days if stored in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Yes, the flapjacks can be frozen for up to 3 months. Once baked and cooled slice the flapjack into portions and wrap in baking parchment before placing in a freezer-proof container or a ziploc freezer bag. Remember to fully defrost the flapjacks before eating.
There’s lots of reasons your flapjacks might be crumbly and fall apart, but here are the most common reasons. Firstly make sure you bake them for long enough, if they are under-baked they will not hold together properly.
Also make sure that you allow them to cool completely after baking. You can score the top of the flapjack to mark out the portions but don’t cut all the way through until they are fully cool.
And lastly they could fall apart if you’ve used jumbo or old fashioned oats, which don’t bind together as well as rolled porridge oats, which are smaller in size.
When they first come out of the oven, the flapjacks will be a little soft but will firm up as they cool. But if you find your flapjacks are rock hard, its possible that they have been over-baked.
Alternatively, it is possible that the butter, sugar and golden syrup mixture has been over-cooked. If this is the case, the sugar will begin to caramelise which when baked will set hard and you’ll end up with solid flapjacks. So when cooking the sugar mixture make sure you do so over a low heat and bring to a simmer.
More raspberry recipes to try
If you liked these raspberry white chocolate flapjacks here are some other recipes that I think you’d enjoy…
Raspberry White Chocolate Flapjacks
Ingredients
- 200 g Light Soft Brown Sugar
- 200 g Unsalted Butter
- 5 tbsp Golden Syrup or Runny Honey
- 400 g Porridge Oats or Rolled Oats
- 125 g Raspberries Fresh or Frozen
- 100 g White Chocolate Chips
VIDEO
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line an 8-inch square cake pan or brownie pan with baking parchment.
- Add the butter, sugar and golden syrup into a medium saucepan and gently melt everything together over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. The mixture will be thick and syrupy with a caramel colour. Leave to one side to cool slightly. Alternatively, you can melt everything together in a microwave in 30-second blasts.200 g Light Soft Brown Sugar, 200 g Unsalted Butter, 5 tbsp Golden Syrup
- In a large mixing bowl, add the porridge oats, then pour over the butter and sugar mixture and stir everything together until evenly combined.400 g Porridge Oats
- Add the white chocolate chips into the mixture and stir in again.100 g White Chocolate Chips
- Place two-thirds of the raspberries in a small bowl and mash with a fork until they are a thick pulp. Keep the remaining raspberries to decorate the top of the flapjacks.125 g Raspberries
- Pour half of the oats mixture into the lined baking pan and gently press down on the mixture with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, packing the mixture together.
- Pour the mashed raspberries onto of the oat layer and spread out with an offset spatula or spoon, leaving a 1cm gap around the outer edge.
- Add the remaining oat mixture on top of the raspberry layer and level off again, pressing down on the mixture to pack it together.
- Scatter the remaining raspberries over the top and gently push into the oat layer; this helps keep them in place while baking.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden in colour. Allow the flapjacks to completely cool in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.
- While the flapjacks are cooling in the tin, divide up into portions scoring just the top of the flapjacks with a knife. This will help when cutting the flapjacks when they are cooled. Do not go all the way through otherwise the flapjacks will crumble and fall apart.
Notes
- Make sure everything is well combined – When mixing together, make sure that all the oats coated in butter and sugar mixture. This will ensure that ehwn the flapjack is baking everything sticks together properly. If your oats are not coated, you’ll end up with dry patches in the flapjack which will cause it to crumble and fall apart.
- Keep an eye on the baking time – Towards the end of the baking time, take a look at the flapjacks, they will start to go a golden caramel cold. When they reach this stage, you’ll have a perfect soft in the middle and chewy at the edges flapjack.
- Don’t overbake the flapjacks – If you’re a fan of chewy flapjacks you’ll want to bake them for an extra 5 minutes, but no longer. If you overbake the flapjacks, they will dry out and become hard and really chewy rather than the soft and chewy texture that we love.
- Let the flapjacks completely cool – I know that that rich, buttery smell when you take the flapjacks out of the oven is to die for, but you’ve got to wait before you get stuck into them. Firstly all that sugar will mean they are very hot, but also if you cut them too soon they will fall apart. So leave the flapjack in the tin until it is completely cool, then you can cut them into slices and take a bite.
Nutrition
DISCLAIMER
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
