These peanut butter flapjacks are gooey, chewy and packed full of nutty flavour. With just 5 simple ingredients, they're easy to make and perfect for beginner bakers.
Calling all peanut butter lovers, this recipe is for you! These peanut butter flapjacks have a soft and chewy texture and a strong nutty flavour and they make such a handy on-the-go snack.
With just 5 simple ingredients and less than 10 minutes of prep time, they're so easy to make that they're guaranteed to be a success, even if you've never baked before!
For those who prefer a slow-paced, step-by-step tutorial, keep reading below for detailed ingredient and equipment notes, step-by-step images, top tips and FAQs. For the quick, condensed version and to watch my flapjack video, you can skip straight ahead to the recipe card at the end of the post.
If you want to do a deep dive on baking flapjacks, check out my Flapjacks 101 guide for troubleshooting and texture tips. Enjoy!
Ingredient notes
- Oats: The base of any good British flapjack, oats! You'll need 300g of porridge or rolled oats to make this recipe. They will give you the perfect texture- soft and chewy, not too hard nor too greasy.
- Brown sugar: Use soft, light brown sugar to make these flapjacks for the best flavour and texture. Caster sugar and dark brown sugar will also work if you're in a pinch though.
- Golden syrup: This thick, sticky liquid gives these flapjacks their classic syrupy flavour and helps to bind the rest of the ingredients together. You'll need 60g of golden syrup, which should be weighed on a scale and not by using a measuring cup/jug. If you don't have any, use one of these golden syrup alternatives.
- Butter: Butter helps to make these flapjacks nice and chewy, especially if you keep them in the fridge. I recommend using unsalted butter but you can add a pinch of salt to the recipe separately if you like.
- Peanut butter: If you can, try to use the natural style of peanut butter with no oil or sugar added to it. This will ensure the flapjack doesn't turn out greasy or too sweet. I like to use the squeezy peanut butter for ease.
Equipment
- Baking tin: An 8x8 tin will give you the best texture and thickness. If you want to use a larger tin, increase the ingredient quantities too by using my cake pan converter.
- Baking paper: To make it easier to lift the flapjacks out after baking. I like to leave a little bit hanging over each edge to make it more convenient.
- Bowls and utensils: You'll need a small heatproof bowl or saucepan for melting the wet ingredients, a large mixing bowl to make the oaty mixture, and a wooden spoon or spatula for mixing everything together with.
- Kitchen scales: Use scales to measure your ingredients in grams. You'll notice I don't typically use imperial measurements in my flapjack recipes and this is because they're not always accurate. My cup of peanut butter might be very different from yours.
How to make peanut butter flapjacks
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180°C and line an 8x8-inch tin with baking paper. If you're using a fan oven, set the temperature to 160°C instead to prevent burning.
Step 2: Melt 100g of unsalted butter in a saucepan along with 150g natural peanut butter, 100g soft light brown sugar and 45g golden syrup. Keep the heat low and stir gently until the sugar has dissolved.
Step 3: Pour 300g of porridge oats into a large bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well. Make sure there are no sticky patches or dry clumps left in there.
Step 4: Transfer the oaty mixture to your lined tin and press it down firmly into place.
Step 5: Bake for around 18-20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. There will be a slight wobble in the middle but don't worry- it'll firm up as it cools, leaving you with a chewy flapjack.
Step 6: Leave the flapjack in the tin for around 5 minutes to cool slightly, then use a sharp knife to score lines where you'll cut it later (this will help you cut your flapjacks cleanly later). Leave to cool completely, around 2-3 hours.
Step 7: Once your peanut butter flapjacks are set, remove them from the tin and cut them into slices using your score marks as a guide. Then all that's left to do is enjoy them!
Top tips
- Use natural-style peanut butter without any added sugar or oils for best results.
- For that classic flapjack flavour, make sure to use butter, not margarine. The latter will leave your flapjacks too greasy and will of course lack that delicious buttery taste.
- If your flapjacks are crumbling or falling apart when you pick them up or cut into them, pop them in the fridge for an hour or two. This will allow them to set properly and make it easier to pick them up in one piece.
- For an extra gooey flapjack, add 2-3 extra tablespoons of golden syrup.
FAQs
They'll last for around 1 week if you store them in the fridge in an airtight container. They can be kept at room temperature too but they will be chewier when chilled.
Yes. To freeze your flapjacks, place the slices into airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. For more info on freezing and defrosting, check out my flapjack freezing guide.
Yes! I used smooth peanut butter out of preference but if you want more crunch in your flapjacks, use slightly less crunchy peanut butter, around 120g, to prevent dryness. For more mix-in inspo, check out my 50+ flapjack flavour ideas.
For best results, I recommend using porridge or rolled oats. Variations such as instant oats or jumbo oats will absorb the liquid differently and result in a different flapjack texture.
More flapjack recipes:
- Honey flapjacks
- Raisin flapjacks
- Cranberry flapjacks
- Chocolate orange flapjacks
- Cinnamon flapjacks
- Condensed milk flapjacks
- Nutella flapjacks
Easy Peanut Butter Flapjacks
Ingredients
- 100 g Unsalted butter
- 100 g Soft light brown sugar
- 150 g Peanut butter (natural style)
- 45 g Golden syrup
- 300 g Oats
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180℃ (or 160℃ for fan ovens) and line an 8x8 tin with baking paper.
- In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, sugar, peanut butter and golden syrup together. Stir gently until the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the oats, making sure they are evenly coated.
- Press the mixture firmly into your tin and bake for around 20 minutes. The flapjacks should be golden at the edges and paler in the middle. They'll firm up as they cool so don't worry if they still look a bit underbaked in the centre.
- Let the flapjack cool in the tin for around 5 minutes then use a knife to gently score lines where you plan to cut it later. Leave to cool completely, around 2-3 hours.
- Once set, remove the flapjack from the tin, cut it into slices using your score marks as a guide and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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