This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosures.
White Chocolate Raspberry Flapjacks are a delicious easy tray-bake. These traditional oat bars have crisp outer edges with a dense chewy middle. The tang of fresh raspberries is a beautiful pairing with the sweet white chocolate.
Jump to:
Have you ever made Homemade Flapjacks which have totally crumbled and fallen apart after you've baked them? I used to until I cracked the code of making this classic bake. And actually the few tricks I will take you through are very simple so that even beginner bakers can achieve total success their very first time so they cut perfectly.
By following this recipe step-by-step you can achieve the perfect treat and create flapjacks with their rich buttery smell, signature chewy texture and crunchy oat exterior.
This fruity flapjack is also one of my favourite recipes as it gives a delicious twist to this easy recipe by adding raspberries and white chocolate to the mix for a top notch extra flavour.
Like all simple bakes, flapjacks live and die by good honest home ingredients. After making this recipe you'll be convinced how incredibly easy they are to bake successfully and you'll soon be whipping up batches to take to bake sales, for after school treats and (if you are like me) for yourself to enjoy with a good cup of tea.
What are flapjacks?
Flapjacks are an easy no fuss British tray-bake made primarily from oats, butter, golden syrup and sugar.
The reason behind the name of flapjacks is a little murky. Different versions of flapjack treats have been around since the sixteenth century. However it was in the 1930s that British flapjacks began to solely refer to buttered and baked oat bars.
These oat bars wormed their way into our cultural identity and flapjacks have since become a quintessential tea time treat. The only real hot topic up for debate is whether you like yours soft or crunchy?
These White Chocolate Raspberry Flapjacks are a happy mix of the two. Crisp edges which give way to a buttery chewy centre. The white chocolate and fresh raspberries are particularly special additions which really elevate the humble flapjack.
Essential tricks to avoid crumbly flapjacks
- Use rolled oats but pulse half of the oats in a food processor to aid the structure and texture. If you use just rolled oats the flapjacks won’t hold together. The pulsed oats should be a little courser than oat flour but don't worry if you take it too far.
- Use a mixture of golden syrup and sugar. Sugar is more than a sweetener. Using both helps maintain the structure of the flapjack.
- Allow the flapjacks to cool completely in the tin before removing so they have a chance to set.
Ingredients
- Butter. Good quality butter is essential to achieve the proper flavour for your flapjacks.
- Golden syrup. The flavour of golden syrup can't really be replicated but if you can't get hold of it then corn syrup is a great substitute. You can swap for maple syrup or runny honey but the flavour will be stronger.
- Light brown muscovado sugar. You swap for soft light brown sugar. The muscovado just adds a little more moisture and flavour.
- Gluten-free rolled oats. Bob’s Red Mill is a great brand.
- Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. They are not totally essential but add a lovely crunch. If you are not using then make up the difference with a little more jumbo oats.
- Salt. Essential for a lifting up all the flavour. I like to use kosher salt but sea salt is fine too.
- White chocolate. Use your favourite brand but Green & Blacks work well.
- Fresh raspberries. Frozen raspberries are too wet and don't work as well.
How to make Raspberry Flapjacks with White Chocolate
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.Â
- Melt butter, sugar and golden syrup together over medium heat.
- Pulse some of the rolled oats in a food processor so you have a mixture of rolled and pulsed oats.
- Add the oats, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and salt to the butter mixture and stir well.
- Cool for 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Stir in the white chocolate and raspberries.
- Bake in a lined and greased 20cm baking tin for 40 minutes until golden brown.
- Let the flapjacks cool in the tin before removing and cutting.
Baker’s tips
- The oat mixture should cool for 30 minutes in the fridge before stirring in the chocolate chips and raspberries. This will ensure the chocolate chips don’t totally melt before going in the oven. Don’t leave longer than that otherwise you’ll have difficulty stirring them in.
- Reserve a few raspberries and chocolate chips for pushing down gently into the top of the flapjack after you have poured them into the baking tin. These raspberries will more or less stay whole and look beautiful after baking.
- If you would like a crunchier flapjack then bake them for an extra 5 minutes. If you want more chew then bake for 5 minutes less.
- To help loosen the flapjacks from the tin run a palette knife around the edges of the flapjack as soon as it’s out of the oven. This stops the flapjack from sticking to the tin once the sugar has cooled.
- Leave the flapjacks to cool completely in the tin before removing and cutting. Otherwise your flapjacks will fall apart. As the sugar cools it will firm up the flapjacks.
FAQs
This is a very wary yes since oats themselves are technically gluten free. However do be careful as oats can be a problematic ingredient due to the protein avenin which can affect those with sensitivities in the same way as gluten. Because of this in some countries oats are considered not suitable for those with coeliac disease. There is also often a risk of gluten cross contamination due the way oats are processed. If you can tolerate avenin make sure to choose oats which are certified gluten-free.
In this recipe we use muscovado sugar which gives a light toffee flavour to the flapjack. The refined sugar also helps give the flapjack structure. Without the sugar the flapjack would just crumble.
In the same way we don’t want the flapjack to be rock hard so liquid sweetener is necessary for that amazing chewiness.
You can swap the golden syrup for an alternative liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup but these impart quite a strong taste. The golden syrup is more neutral.
I don’t recommend it here as the frozen raspberries are too wet and will affect the structure of the recipe. Plus they will break apart too much when stirring into the oats.
Flapjacks have a misleading reputation for being the healthy choice due to all the wholesome oats. However there is a fair amount of sugar in this recipe. Maybe a once a week treat rather than every day.
✨If you do want a refined sugar-free flapjack then have a look at these Salted Date Caramel Banana Flapjacks which source all their sugar from bananas and dates. They taste incredible.✨
How to make vegan flapjacks
- Forget everything I said before about using good butter and swap in coconut oil. It has a much cleaner taste rather than the buttery richness of the original but is still good.
- Try and find vegan white chocolate or instead try one of the flavour suggestions below.
Flavour variations
- Blueberry Flapjacks - Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the butter, golden syrup and sugar and 150g blueberries with the oats.
- Blackberry Flapjacks with White Chocolate. I adore this swap when blackberries are in season. Switch out the raspberries for blackberries for a straight swap.
- Dark Chocolate Raspberry Flapjacks – swap out the white chocolate for dark chocolate
- Honey, Apple and Cinnamon Flapjacks – swap out the raspberries for 150g diced granny smiths. Remove the chocolate entirely and add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Swap out the golden syrup for honey.
More oat bars you'll love
✨Have you tried these Raspberry Flapjacks with White Chocolate? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your recipe turned out and your feedback also helps other readers✨
White Chocolate Raspberry Flapjacks
Ingredients
- 160 g unsalted butter
- 160 g golden syrup
- 120 g light brown muscovado sugar
- 325 g rolled oats - make sure they are certified gluten-free if you have dietary requirements.
- 25 g pumpkin seeds
- 25 g sunflower seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 125 g white chocolate - chopped into rubble
- 150 g raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C /150°C fan/ gas mark 3 and grease and line a 20cm square cake tin.
- Weigh out 200g (about two thirds of them) of the oats and tip them into a food processor. Pulse them gently so they break down into a finer oat crumble, but not as powdery as oat flour. Set aside for a moment.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat then pour in the golden syrup and sugar.
- Stir together until the sugar has melted.
- Remove from the heat and add the rolled and pulsed oats, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and salt. Stir until well combined.
- Transfer the flapjack mixture to the fridge for 30 minutes to cool down slightly.
- Remove from the fridge then stir in the chopped white chocolate and raspberries, reserving a small handful.
- Pour the flapjack mixture into the tin and press down evenly.
- Scatter the reserved raspberries and chocolate chips over the top, pressing down into the surface.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Run a palette knife around the edges to loosen them from the tin then leave to cool in the tin.
- Once cool, remove from the tin and cut into squares.
Notes
- OATS. If you use just rolled oats then the flapjacks don’t hold together as well. Grinding a portion of them creates a stronger flapjack. You don’t want oat flour but you do want a finer crumb than the rolled oats. Somewhere in between.
- CHILLING THE FLAPJACK. You can skip this step but the flapjack mixture will still be hot so when you add the chocolate chips they will melt straightaway. However, keep an eye on the time if you leave for longer than 30 minutes the mixture will be too stiff to incorporate the add-ins.
- CRUNCHY OR CHEWY. This flapjack is both crunchy and chewy. If you want more crunch then leave in the oven for an extra 5 minutes. If you want more chew then reduce the baking time by 5 minutes.
- COOLING. Leave the flapjacks to cool in tin before removing and cutting so the flapjacks have a chance to set. If you remove whilst they are still warm then they will fall apart.
Sally says
These are amazing, I get so many compliments every time I make them, thanks for the recipe.
Georgina Hartley says
You are welcome - I'm so happy you are having success with these flapjacks!
Rosemary Roberts says
Can you substitute honey for golden syrup?
Georgina Hartley says
It is possible, do bear in mind the honey flavour will be quite distinctive. Also choose a thicker set honey to replicate the texture of the golden syrup.
Ruth says
Delicious
great sharing recipe - shared with work colleguse with mugs of tea and coffee at break kept us going through a really busy monday. Everyone loved them sweet satisfying and a lovely crunch with the seeds mixed in
Thank you
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Ruth, thank you so much for your lovely feedback!
Sally Bamford says
They went down a treat after a 7 mile run with my running club. Lots of compliments so thank you for the recipe. I followed your suggestion cooking them for an extra five minutes. the ones in the centre were still a bit soft but put them in a cool room overnight and they firmed up.
Georgina Hartley says
That's lovely to hear - I'm so happy the flapjacks were a success!
Helene says
Hi Georgina
You mention a chocolate glaze but I can’t see it in the ingredients list nor anywhere else
What is it?
Thank you
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Helene, sorry that bit about the glaze was leftover from an old version of the recipe. The glaze was too much so I removed it and forgot to remove the instruction. Thank you for pointing that out!
Helene says
Thank you for replying
These are absolutely yummy
Second recipe I made from you that turned out perfect
And I only found you at the weekend
Got a big list what I want to make
All sound so nice
And with the ingredients I prefer
How would I store these best?
Could they be frozen?
Don’t trust myself not eating them all at once
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Helene, these flapjacks should freeze just fine.
Shannon says
What size tin would you recommend?
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Shannon. Theses flapjacks require a 20cm square cake tin.
Sally says
Oh wow - these look amazing. I bet they are so tasty!
Georgina Hartley says
They are!!! So addictive too!
Karly says
Yum! Looks delicious!
Georgina Hartley says
Thank you Karly!