Flapjack is a simple, delicious and healthy snack when you make it yourself. Children love it too, making it ideal for pack lunches and school snacks. Traditionally it is made with butter so we set about making up our own dairy free, 100% vegan version.
Most ingredients in our zero waste vegan flapjack recipe can be readily purchased unpacked. Just two, coconut oil and golden syrup come packaged in reusable glass jars or tins. Make sure you add this zero waste super hero snack to your list of favourites!
Oats so amazing
Oats, the main ingredient in flapjack, just blow our mind! They are packed with important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Some antioxidants like avenanthramides are almost exclusivly found in oats.
Oats contain a lot of fibre, long associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular problems. They have more protein and fats than other cereals. Slow burning they are also incredibly filling.
Oats can also reduce colestorol, protect your skin, lower colestorol, improve blood sugar and promote healthy gut bacteria. What’s not to like?
Coconut oil gives flapjack a delightful flavour
Like oats, coconut oil is another amazing food. That is one reason we decided to use it as a dairy free fat for our vegan flapjack recipe. Coconut oil is high in healthy saturated fats that have different effects than most other fats in your diet. On top of this it can increase fat burning, improve heart health, moisturize your skin, look after you hair and lower stress levels. The list of benefits goes on.
It’s important to use extra virgin coconut oil, preferably organic. Like any oil used in cooking, it’s better to avoid industrial oils. These are highly proceses, are usually not pure and lack all the health benefits.
Flapjack is an ideal sports energy bar
Did you know that flapjack is a perfect energy snack for althelets? That’s because it is chock full of slow release carbs and fibre, while having quick release sugars for immediate energy too.
Oats have been shown in scientific studies to favourably alter metabolism and enhance performance when ingested 45 minutes to 1 hour before exercise of moderate intensity.
To take flapjack out while training or commuting, just wrap a slice or two in a cloth napkin and slip it into your pocket. Cyclists will adore it!
Zero waste vegan flapjack
Ingredients
- 250 g oats Organic. Buy unpacked.
- 125 g coconut oil Extra virgin. We recommend organic.
- 125 g soft light brown sugar Organic. Buy unpacked.
- 2-3 tbsp golden syrup We like the old school Lyle's in a tin.
- 75 g chopped nuts of your choice (optional) Walnuts are a great choice
- 75 g dried fruit (optional) Try raisins, dried cranberries, chopped apricots.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 160ºC-180ºC fan/ gas 4 then lightly grease a baking tin using your fingers dipped in a little coconut oil
- Melt the coconut oil, sugar and syrup in a saucepan over a medium heat
- Remove from heat, tip in the oats, chopped nuts and dried fruit and mix well
- Transfer to the tin and pack the mix in with the back of your wooden spoon
- Bake for around 20 mins until lightly golden and crisp around the edges. Leave to cool in the tin before slicing into squares. Store in an airtight tin for 3-5 days.
Notes
Add your own twist
The basic ingredients for flapjack are oats, a swetener, fat and something to make it gooey and stick together after cooking. You can play around with different vegetable fats. We know some people use olive oil here in Spain which is great if you find it too sweet! So long as it binds together nicely you’re fine. You can really get creative and vary the nuts and dried fruits too. Adding seseme seeds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds adds more flavours and also reduces the sweetness. Lastly you can replace some of the brown sugar with honey, but that’s not an option if you’re a strict vegan!
Let us know how it goes
We’d love to hear what you come up with and would be delighed if you share tips or feedback in the comments below. Go ahead and share your creations on Instagram using the #verdonce hashtag and we’ll be sure to give you a shout out.
Jenny says
Well, the first time I made these flapjacks they were superb! Next time, my own fault, I burnt them at the melting stage and probably the cooking stage. I was very careful the next time I used this recipe NOT to let that happen, the flapjacks were ‘ok’, but not as fabby as the first batch. Today I tried again; the flapjacks came out of the oven , after 25 minutes with all the raisins floating on top then cooled so hard so hard and stuck in the tin that I was afraid for my teeth! The tin is currently soaking ( I may lose the tin as I can’t get the ‘flapjacks’ out). What am I doing wrong??? I do find it difficult to measure a tablespoon of syrup, is that the problem?.
Oliver Green says
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for sharing your experiences on this recipe. Sorry to hear about your struggles with the tin, I hope you manage to recover it! I think the main issue here is the amount of sugar (syrup and brown sugar, the cooking times and the oven temperature). If you are cooking with the fan on, you want to go with max 160ºC and cook for around 15-20 mins. Next, as this is a very sweet recipe due to the coconut oil, the brown sugar and the golden syrup, then you can back off a bit on the syrup or the sugar. It definitely can be tricky to judge the tablespoon measure when using golden syrup as it is so gooey and sticky – you can almost get half a tin on one spoon if you’re not careful. Try using just two tablespoons. I sometimes weigh the amount on a spoon to try to be more precise the next time I make it.
Good luck and let us know how it goes. I will be sure to read and respond.
Regards,
Oliver.