These delicious apricot flapjacks have been flavoured with honey and a little cinnamon. The crunch and texture comes from a combination of toasted blanched almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Apricot and almond flapjacks are one of my all time favourite sweet treats.
A good flapjack should not be dry and flaky. At their absolute best when they have the right amount of chew and a little crunch.
As with all baked goods, they have to be worth the calories. Too often I have looked forward to the sweet, stickiness of a flapjack to be handed something dense, stodgy and almost cake-like (and a bad cake at that).
What I like most about this easy flapjack recipe is that it requires very little technical expertise. Melt some butter and sugar, then add to a bowl of dry ingredients, mix then bake! Flapjacks are a great bake for children, just ensure you watch them with the hot butter sugar mixture!
Why you'll love this recipe
- A great make ahead bake as flapjacks store really well, up to a week at room temperature.
- Grab and go breakfast perfect for busy days when you start early and need something to keep you going till lunch.
- Made with gluten free porridge oats so suitable for coeliacs or anyone following a gluten free diet.
- For vegan apricot flapjacks swap the honey for maple syrup.
Recipe ingredients
- Nuts - for this recipe I use whole blanched almonds which I toast quickly first before adding to the flapjack mixture.
- Apricots - I use dried apricots, which I cut down into smaller pieces before adding to the mix.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter to help bind all the ingredients together.
- Sugar – I use light muscovado sugar or light brown sugar to sweeten the flapjacks as they add a great molasses flavor.
- Honey – I enjoy the flavour of honey in my flapjacks. However, if you don't like honey you can use golden syrup or maple syrup instead.
- Oats - I used large gluten free porridge oats (rolled oats) as the base for this flapjack recipe. The larger oats have more crunch and texture, but you can use regular porridge oats too, they are just cut a little finer. If you don’t require gluten free flapjacks you can use regular rolled oats.
- Seeds – sunflower and pumpkin seeds add great crunch and texture to the flapjacks.
- Cinnamon - a teaspoon of ground cinnamon adds great flavour to the flapjacks.
- Salt – I add a touch of salt to balance out the sweet flavors.
How to make apricot flapjacks
Preheat the oven to 200C/180CFan/390F and roast the whole almonds for 10 minutes on a baking tray. Remove from the oven and place into a large mixing bowl to cool a little.
Turn the oven down to 180C/160CFan/350F.
Line the baking tray with baking parchment to stop the flapjacks from sticking to the tray.
Chop the dried apricots into small pieces.
In a small saucepan add the butter, sugar and honey over medium heat until melted, stir to combine.
Add the remaining ingredients into the bowl with the toasted almonds and chopped apricots, and stir to combine.
Once the butter mixture has melted pour over the dry ingredients and combine fully to ensure all the dry ingredients are evenly coated with the butter and sugar mixture.
Pour the mixture onto the lined baking tray and spread evenly across the tray and press the flapjack mixture into the tray. Use the back of a metal spoon to ensure the mixture is compressed and flat in the tray.
Place the tray into the oven oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven, set on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before removing the flapjacks from the tray and cutting into squares.
Recipe variations
Flapjacks are really versatile and can be easily adapted to use what you have in your stores at home. Just make sure you keep the overall weight the same!
- I've used whole blanched almonds for the crunch, but you can chop them up or use flaked almonds if you prefer.
- Swap the almonds for hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, walnut or peanut.
- Stir through some desiccated coconut.
- Add other seeds into the mix like flaxseed, chia, sesame or poppy seeds.
- Add other spices like ground ginger or nutmeg into the mix.
- I love dried apricots, but you can swap the apricots for any other dried fruit like raisins, sultanas, cranberries, figs or dates.
- Add some dark, milk or white chocolate chips to the flapjack mix.
Serving suggestions
I love flapjacks as a mid afternoon treat with a cup of tea or coffee. However, they make a quick and easy grab and go breakfast option too.
Useful hints and tips
- To avoid burning, take care when handing the hot sugar and butter, particularly if baking with younger children.
- Use baking parchment to line the tray as this makes the flapjacks a lot easier to remove when cooled and ready to cut.
- This recipe makes around 24 flapjacks but you can cut the flapjacks as large or small as you wish.
- Allow flapjacks to cool completely in the tray before cutting, this helps keep their shape.
- Using gluten free porridge oats makes these flapjacks suitable for coeliacs or gluten free diners.
- To make vegan apricot flapjacks swap the honey for maple syrup.
- Allergy advice: gluten free, egg free, soya free and peanut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.
FAQs
Flapjacks crumble when not enough honey or syrup is used to bind them together. If the mixture looks a little dry add another drop of warm honey or syrup to the dry mix and give it a good stir to combine.
When the wet oat mixture is added to the baking tray use the back of a large metal spoon to compress the mixture down. If the mixture goes into the oven too loose it will lose its shape. You also need to cook the flapjacks for long enough as under cooked flapjacks will fall apart, but don’t overcook them or they will be too hard to enjoy.
Finally cut the flapjacks one they have completely cooled down.
Always allow the flapjacks to cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting into portions, this helps the flapjacks hold their shape. Cut any earlier and the mixture will start to crumble.
Store the flapjacks in airtight container on the counter top. I recommend placing a sheet of baking parchment between each layer to stop the flapjacks sticking together.
Yes, flapjacks freeze really well. Place into an airtight container or ziploc bag with a layer of baking parchment between each layer. Then place into the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
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Additional recipe suggestions
If you like this recipe then try some of my favorite simple oat based recipes:
- Christmas Spiced Flapjacks
- Christmas Spiced Granola
- Chocolate Hazelnut Granola
- Cinnamon Granola with Almond & Apricot
If you enjoyed this bake have a look at our Ultimate Guide to Baking with Kids, full of great recipe suggestions, hints and top for baking with children.
Apricot, Almond & Honey Flapjacks
Equipment
- Saucepan
- large mixing bowl
- weighing scales
- measuring spoons
- 9x13x1" (23x33x2.5cm) baking tray
- baking parchment
Ingredients
- 150 g whole blanched almonds
- 150 g dried apricots (diced)
- 250 g butter
- 200 g light muscovado sugar
- 3-4 tablespoon honey
- 400 g oats
- 50 g pumpkin seeds
- 50 g sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180CFan/390F and roast the whole almonds for 10 minutes on a baking tray. Remove from the oven and place into a large mixing bowl to cool a little.
- Turn the oven down to 180C/160CFan/350F.
- Line the baking tray with baking parchment to stop the flapjacks from sticking to the tray.
- Chop the dried apricots into small pieces.
- In a small saucepan add the butter, sugar and honey over medium heat until melted, stir to combine.
- Add the remaining ingredients into the bowl with the toasted almonds and chopped apricots, and stir to combine.
- Once the butter mixture has melted pour over the dry ingredients and combine fully to ensure all the dry ingredients are evenly coated with the butter and sugar mixture.
- Pour the mixture onto the lined baking tray and spread evenly across the tray and press the flapjack mixture into the tray. Use the back of a metal spoon to ensure the mixture is compressed and flat in the tray.
- Place the tray into the oven oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the oven, set on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before removing the flapjacks from the tray and cutting into squares.
- Store the flapjacks in an airtight container, in a cool place/counter top for up to a week.
Notes
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
Anna says
I baked these for me and my friends and we all loved them
Lesley says
Thank you Anna, I'm really glad to hear to enjoyed these.
Kerry Clark says
These are fab! I love the combination of nuts, seeds and dried fruit. I did a bit of a cupboard clear out and used walnuts, cashews, pumpkin and sesame seeds and apricots and dates, but it tastes fabulous. Thanks ladies x
Lesley says
Thank you Kerry, I'm glad you enjoyed these. Yes, I totally agree, flapjacks are ideal for using up those bits and pieces of dried fruits and seeds that we all seem to collect from time to time!
Angelica Edmond says
Thank you very much for sharing your beautiful recipe with us !
Lesley says
You are more than welcome Angelica, it's one of my favourite bakes. Lesley x