Squidgy date and coconut flapjacks

Squidgy coconut and date flapjacks are a delicious twist on a British tea-time treat, packed with oats and dried fruit, and flavoured with rich date syrup and a pinch of spice.

Have you ever given much thought to flapjacks? These traditional British treats, made with oats and syrup, vary from crunchy to chewy, soft and light to dense and unforgiving.

They can come plain, or studded with fruit or chocolate chips. And be left bare or adorned with a topping. So many options! It seems that flapjack perfection is pretty subjective.

Just to be clear, I’m talking about BRITISH flapjacks – a sort of delicious oaty bar as seen in the photo above – and not American flapjacks which are apparently some sort of breakfast pancake. How confusing.

Anyway….

In search of perfection

Personally, my perfect flapjacks would be not-too-dense but still slightly chewy, sweet but not tooth-achingly so, buttery but definitely not greasy. They would have succulent chunks of dried fruit and would need nothing extra by way of chocolate, icing, or other sugary decorations.

Oh, and they would probably come with a nice cup of tea. 

Flapjack experimentation…

I didn’t have flapjack perfection in mind when I set out to make these coconut and date flapjacks mind you. I was simply looking for a way to use up some date syrup, and wondered if it could be used to replace golden syrup in the flapjacks recipe.

Turns out that yes, it can, and the resulting flapjack is as close to perfection as I’ve yet achieved! Squidgy inside with a slightly chewy crust, and a wonderful fruity, spicy flavour. 

Date flapjacks – what a treat!

These coconut and date flapjacks take almost no time at all to make and are wonderful with a cuppa, or as an afternoon snack, or tucked into a lunchbox or picnic as a sneaky almost-healthy treat.

I say almost healthy – they’re made with oats, coconut, dried fruits and date syrup, so apart from a little sugar and fat, they’re pretty good. Everything in moderation!

They’re also so easy (and foolproof!) that you might even persuade the kids to make a batch themselves. Just make sure you get to eat one (or two) – quality control, right?

Ingredients for date flapjacks

As I mentioned, the ingredients for these yummy date flapjacks are all simple kitchen staples – or they are in my house! To whip up a tasty batch yourself, all you will need is:

• margarine or butter – depending on whether you prefer them to be dairy or parve
• light soft brown sugar – such as muscovado or similar
• date syrup – also called silan
• rolled oats – these are the chunky oats, not the smaller “quick-cook” porridge oats
• plain flour – also called all-purpose flour
• desiccated coconut
• dried fruit – I used chopped stoned dates, dried apricots and raisins but you can add any or all of these, or any fruits you like!

Let’s make a date (flapjack)!

What would your perfect flapjack taste like? Why not try these easy date flapjacks, and see if we agree?!

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📖 Recipe

Coconut and date flapjacks

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Squidgy, oaty flapjacks made with coconut, date syrup, and dried fruit.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Cake

Cuisine British

Servings 10 squares

Calories 194 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 75 g margarine (or butter if you're not bothered about dairy)
• 65 g light soft brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon date syrup (silan)
• 125 g rolled oats
• 25 g plain flour (4 tbsp)
• 35 g desiccated coconut
• 100 g chopped stoned dates, dried apricots, raisins, or a mixture of dried fruits, all cut into raisin-sized pieces

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a loaf tin with baking paper.
• Put the margarine, sugar and date syrup into a saucepan and heat over the lowest flame until everything is just melted and mixed together.
• Remove from the heat, and add all the remaining ingredients to the saucepan. Mix well until everything is well amalgamated.
• Tip the mixture into the lined tin and spread evenly into the corners. Use the back of a spoon to level the surface.
• Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes until the top is just starting to turn golden brown. 
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove from the tin while still warm and cut into squares. Serve warm or cold.

Notes

Tossing the chopped dried fruit in a little of the flour before adding to the mixture will help prevent the pieces from sticking together and ensure they are more evenly distributed through the finished flapjacks.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Coconut and date flapjacks

Amount per Serving

Calories

194

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

9

g

14

%

Saturated Fat

 

6

g

38

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Cholesterol

 

16

mg

5

%

Sodium

 

60

mg

3

%

Potassium

 

146

mg

4

%

Carbohydrates

 

27

g

9

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

13

g

14

%

Protein

 

3

g

6

%

Vitamin A

 

188

IU

4

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

31

mg

3

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword baking, flapjack, oats

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More delicious flapjack recipes

If you’d like to try some more delicious flapjacks, check out the following:

• Carrot cake flapjacks from Tin and Thyme
• Chocolate cherry flapjacks from Thinly Spread
• Chocolate drizzle flapjacks from Fab Food 4 All
• Fruit flapjack fingers from Family Friends Food
• Pineapple, banana and chocolate flapjacks from Tinned Tomatoes
• Vegan chia seed flapjacks from Planet Veggie

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