How to Make Flapjacks on a Budget

You see them everywhere, but have you ever tried making your own? If not, you really should because not only are they delicious, they’re ridiculously easy to make. And you can kid yourself that you’re eating a healthy snack if you ignore all that butter and sugar. Ok, pretty much everything apart from the oats. But oats are healthy, right? Anyway, there are dividing opinions when it comes to homemade flapjacks – should they be soft and chewy or hard and crunchy? We firmly believe in the former, so this recipe has the addition of condensed milk to get them a bit squidgier and less like to damage your teeth. Enjoy!

For the Perfect Flapjacks You will need…

• 500g porridge oats – To check out the best range of great value products, take a look at our Waitrose voucher codes page and you can also save £10 on your first grocery order when you spend £50 or more.
• 300g unsalted butter                                                                                                  
• 4 tablespoons golden syrup
• ½ tin of condensed milk
• 200g soft brown sugar
• A baking tin or straight sided roasting tin 

Instructions for making Flapjacks

• Heat your oven to 160 degrees centigrade and line your baking tin with baking paper.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter on a medium heat.
• Add the sugar and the syrup then stir until dissolved.
• Keep on a medium heat and don’t rush this stage – you don’t want to the butter to burn or the mixture to start boiling – remove from the heat if this starts to happen.
• Next, mix in the condensed milk and then fold in the oats, bit by bit.
• Press the mixture into the baking tin with a spatula. You can vary the depth depending on how soft you want the flapjacks – the thinner they are, the crunchier they will be.
• Bake for 15 minutes – take them out when the edges start to brown – you don’t want them to overcook.
• Leave to cool and then slice to whatever size you like. You can leave them overnight in the baking tin to improve the texture.

Mix it Up for Different Variations

Another great thing about flapjacks is their ability to morph into various incarnations. You could substitute 50g of oats for some desiccated coconut and throw in a few glace cherries. Or add a handful of raisins and change the syrup for honey then grate a bit of orange zest into the mix. Or chocolate chips, of course. Who could say no to some chocolate chip flapjacks? To get some more recipe and ingredient inspiration, Ocado not only gives you top quality products delivered direct to your door, but, as a first time customer, you can save £20 when you spend £80 or more with this Ocado voucher code.

Check in with our blog regularly for more delicious recipe ideas and food offers including the perfect omelette or meatballs. But if you want to save even more time, you can always download the My Favourite Voucher Codes money saving app – shop online as you would normally, but when you see something you like, just click on our icon and we’ll tell you whether we have a discount voucher for it! Happy scoffing!

By Anna Scott, 22nd May 2013