Homemade flapjacks are a deliciously simple treat that can be made in minutes. Vanessa Greenwood, founder of CookingClassOnline.com, shares her family’s favourite baking recipe for homemade flapjacks so you can indulge too!

This was the first recipe I taught my children to bake because it is so simple and all you need is a large mixing bowl and a spatula.

Once they started school and their friends came around for playdates, we would mix these flapjacks in a bowl, bake them in the oven, then eat them as an after-school treat. We would often make two trays so that their friends could bring some home to show their Mum and Dad what they had made in our mini home cooking school.

I think lots Mums and Dads love homemade flapjacks as they remind them of their childhood – it is definitely one of the most popular recipes in our home baking cooking class!

There are lots of things you can add into this recipe such as hazelnuts or chocolate chips, but my favourite is to replace the vanilla essence with one teaspoon of almond essence which makes them very unique!

Ingredients:

• 250g porridge oats
• 150g plain flour
• 200g butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C fan.
2. Place the porridge oats and flour in a large wide mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Heat the butter and sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir without allowing the mixture to boil. Once the sugar is fully dissolved and blended with the butter to give a smooth consistency, stir in the golden syrup and vanilla extract.
4. In two batches, pour the hot liquid over the dry mixture, stirring well until the dry ingredients are moistened.
5. Transfer the mixture into a square baking tin (approx 20cm x 20cm) and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 20 minutes by which time the edges should be starting to turn golden. Continue to bake at this temperature for a further 5 minutes or until the centre top turns golden (keep an eye on the edges and if they start to darken too much, reduce the oven temperature straight away). Once golden, reduce the oven temperature to 160°C fan and bake for another 5 minutes.
6. Once baked, remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes, then use a serrated knife to mark out nine squares, before gently slicing through the markings and leave the flapjacks in the tin to cool completely until firm.