Vegan Fruit And Nut Flapjacks

Name: Vegan Fruit And Nut Flapjacks
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 16 squares
Ingredients: 350 g (4 cups) fine rolled porridge oats; 80 g (2/3 cup) plain flour; 100 g (3.5 oz) mixed nuts (I used almonds, pecans and cashews) (roughly chopped); 200 g (7 oz) mixed dried fruit (I used sultanas, cranberries, apricots and figs) (larger pieces roughly chopped); 50 g (1.7 oz) mixed seeds (I used pumpkin, sunflower and hemp); 200 g (3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp) dairy free butter (I used Stork block); 175 g (3/4 cup) golden syrup; 200 g (1 cup + 2 Tbsp) light brown soft sugar

May 18, 2018 by hannahhossack 31 Comments

Vegan fruit and nut flapjacks – easy vegan oaty flapjacks (oat cookie bars) filled with dried fruits, nuts and seeds. Perfect for snacking, lunchboxes and hiking!

Flapjacks have to be the ultimate in simple yet satisfying treats. If you are feeling low on energy then a sweet, chewy, buttery flapjack with a cup of tea is just the thing to perk you back up again.

Here I have veganised them and added a tasty mix of dried fruits, nuts and seeds (mostly because I wanted to clear some odds and ends out of the cupboard, but the result is delicious!)

What Even Is A Flapjack Anyway?

I realise that while flapjacks may be ubiquitous in the UK, they aren’t particularly common elsewhere; and in several other countries ‘flapjack’ actually refers to a type of pancake (like a British Scotch pancake); obviously not what flapjack means here!

The best way I can think to describe them is that they are like a dense, chewy oatmeal cookie bar. They are sweet, sticky and utterly addictive.

They are great for lunchboxes, taking hiking (they contain both fast and slow release energy so are great for an immediate and lasting boost!) or just for an afternoon snack.

Flapjacks are super simple to customise and flavour as you like. I added a mixture of dried sultanas, cranberries, chopped apricots and figs, almonds, pecans, cashews, and pumpkin, sunflower and hemp seeds to these vegan fruit and nut flapjacks.

You can vary what fruits, nuts and seeds you use – I just used what I happened to have in the cupboard that needed to be used up, just keep the quantities vaguely the same. You can also omit them instead if you want to make plain vegan flapjacks, which are just as delicious.

If you choose to make them without any add-ins however then you should bake them in a 20cm/8in square tin rather than the 23cm/9in one that I used for this recipe as they will be too thin otherwise without the extra volume provided by the mix-ins.

Making It Vegan:

Flapjacks are super easy to veganise as the only non-vegan ingredient that they contain is butter so you can just make a straight swap for vegan butter/dairy free margarine – I used Stork block but Naturli Vegan Block is also great.

If you prefer, I think that they would also work well with the same quantity of coconut oil instead.

Not So Secret Ingredient:

Many flapjack recipes can be quite crumbly and fall apart easily. I find that by adding a bit of flour to the recipe it really helps to hold them together in a perfectly chewy bar.

You should also use fine rolled porridge oats rather than jumbo ones which will help to stop them from crumbling.

How To Make Vegan Fruit and Nut Flapjacks:

Flapjacks are very quick and easy to make, though you do have to wait for them to cool completely before you remove them from the tin or they will fall apart.

Start by mixing together fine rolled porridge oats, flour and your choice of mix-ins.

Then you need to melt together vegan butter, light brown soft sugar and golden syrup over a low heat.

Stir the syrupy mixture into the oats until they are fully coated then tip it into a square cake tin, press it down firmly and evenly then bake for about half an hour.

Once baked, leave to cool for 10 minutes then slice into squares whilst still in the tin. Leave to cool completely then turn out and re-slice. They keep really well in an airtight container.