Christmas Spiced Flapjacks (Gluten Free)

My Christmas spiced flapjacks recipe combines some of my favourite festive flavours, cranberry, orange and the warming spices of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. They are loaded with mixed nuts and seeds which add great crunch and texture to the flapjacks along with the oats.

These easy Christmas flapjacks came about after I’d made a batch of my Christmas Spiced Granola. The kids and their friends were taste testing for me and one of them said they would make great flapjacks. So, here you have it, the recipe for my spiced Christmas flapjacks!

I like to have a baking day with the kids before Christmas, when we can prepare treats for friends and family dropping in over the festive holiday. This best Christmas flapjacks recipe is really straightforward, ideal for kids as they don’t take too long to pull together.

I’ve chosen to make gluten free flapjacks using gluten free rolled oats. Feel free to use regular oats if you don’t require gluten free.

Why you’ll love this Christmas flapjacks recipe

• The perfect balance of festive flavours with cranberry, orange and warming spices.
• Festive flapjacks are a great make ahead bake as they store really well, either on the counter top or in the freezer.
• 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.

Recipe ingredients

• 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 also use honey, but maple or agave syrups would work well too.
• Orange – I added the finely grated zest of 2 oranges to the granola mix. You could also use mandarins, satsumas or clementines, just add a little more given they are smaller fruits.
• Spices – I used a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
• 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.
• Nuts – I used chopped pecans and pistachios, as well as flaked almonds.
• Seeds – sunflower and pumpkin seeds add great crunch and texture to the granola.
• Ginger – I use finely chopped crystallised ginger in this granola mix, it really adds to the flavour.
• Cranberry – I add dried cranberries to the flapjack mixture as cranberry and orange are a great flavour pairing.
• Salt – I add a touch of salt to balance out the sweet flavors.

How to make Christmas flapjacks recipe

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°CFan. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
• Place a small saucepan over medium heat, and add the butter, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and orange zest. Warm gently until the butter and sugar have melted, stirring to avoid the sugar from burning. Once liquid, set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together all the remaining ingredients.

• Once the butter and sugar mixture has warmed through and is in a liquid state, add to the dry oat mix.
• Stir together until fully incorporated and all the dry ingredients are covered evenly with the butter, 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 in the hot 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 7-10 days.

Recipe variations

This is a versatile recipe that can be easily adapted to suit your own tastes and what you have in your stores at home:

• Use any variety of nuts that you enjoy eating, just keep the total amount of added nuts in the recipe the same. Try brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, walnuts.
• I’ve added pumpkin and sunflower seeds, but you could also add flaxseed or chia seeds to the mixture.
• Adjust the spice to suit your own tastes, if there is a spice you don’t enjoy leave it out and add a little more of the spices you do like.
• Swap the cranberries for any other dried fruits like raisins, sultanas, mixed fruit, figs, dates or apricots.
• Make a vegan Christmas flapjacks by swapping the honey for maple syrup, or agave syrup and the butter for a dairy free alternative.

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

1. To avoid burning, take care when handing the hot sugar and butter, particularly if baking with younger children.
2. Use baking parchment to line the tray as this makes the flapjacks a lot easier to remove when cooled and ready to cut.
3. This recipe makes around 24 flapjacks but you can cut the flapjacks as large or small as you wish.
4. Allow flapjacks to cool completely in the tray before cutting, this helps keep their shape.
5. Using gluten free porridge oats makes these flapjacks suitable for coeliacs or gluten free diners.
6. Allergy advice: gluten free, egg free, soya free and peanut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

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Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of my other recipes using porridge oats (rolled oats):

• Almond & Apricot Flapjacks
• Mincemeat Christmas Flapjacks from Curly’s Cooking
• Christmas Spiced Granola
• Chocolate Hazelnut Granola
• Cinnamon Granola with Almond & Apricot

If you enjoyed this bake have a look at my Ultimate Guide to Baking with Kids, full of great recipe suggestions, hints and top for baking with children.