Traditional Scottish oat bars. These walnut and raisin flapjacks are easy to make and chewy just how they should be.

SCOTTISH WALNUT AND RAISIN FLAPJACKS

Oaty flapjacks mmmmm!

I love Scottish flapjacks. They are chewy, comforting and on just the right side of healthy for a traybake.

 Now I'm not saying they're diet food, but these walnut and raisin flapjacks are full of oats, walnuts, raisins, chia seeds, flax seeds and sweetened by mashed banana and a some maple syrup,  honey (or agave nectar).

ENERGY BARS

If you need a energy boost then these will do the job nicely.

They're perfect if you are out for a walk or to counter that mid-afternoon energy crash or if it's hours until your next meal.

I like my flapjacks chewy, but some people prefer them crisp.

To me this is just plain wrong and more of a biscuit.

They should be slightly crisp on the outside but chewy and soft inside.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCOTTISH & AMERICAN FLAPJACKS

My American friends may be wondering what I'm wittering on about as flapjacks are very different in America.

AMERICAN FLAPJACKS - Are what we call Scotch pancakes
SCOTTISH FLAPJACKS - Are usually called oat bars in America.

THE HISTORY OF SCOTTISH OATS

Oats have been grown and eaten in Scotland since Medieval times.

They are a staple crop in Scotland and in lean times one of the main ingredients in a Scottish diet. They are cheap or buy and a good way to bulk out dishes.

Oats are a superior ingredient as they slowly release energy when you eat them. That's why so many people eat porridge or overnights oats in the morning for breakfast.

HISTORY OF PORRIDGE

Originally crofters would cook a big batch of porridge in the morning made with just oats and water in an pot over their fire.

They'd eat it for breakfast then pour the rest into a wooden porridge drawer or 'kist' (drawer in a kitchen dresser) and it would set as it cooled.

It would then be chopped into squares and taken with them to eat through the day. In the evening slices or 'calders' were cut off, fried and served with eggs.

HISTORY OF FLAPJACKS

The squares of cold, set porridge in those porridge drawers were our first flapjacks.

Back then it was all called porridge or 'porage', it didn't matter if you ate it with a spoon or as a bar.

As the years passed the name changed and butter and sugar were added to these oaty bars. 

Modern flapjacks are usually made with oats, butter, brown sugar and golden syrup, but today all sorts of ingredients and flavours are added.

WHICH OATS SHOULD I USE IN FLAPJACKS?

Just think of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and remember it's important to find just the right oats.

To make good flapjacks you should use porridge oats, also known as rolled oats.

Oatmeal is too fine for a good chewy flapjack and jumbo oats don't hold together as well so you end up with a flapjack that falls apart as you eat it.

For more Scottish recipes have a look at my recipe index of Scottish Recipes for Vegans and Vegetarians

WALNUTS

Another main ingredient in these flapjacks are walnuts.

The walnuts are adding for flavour and a bit of crunch, so there is a variety of textures too.

Roughly cut them before adding them to the mixture, so there are bigger and smaller pieces.

RAISINS

I also included raisins in these flapjacks. 

The raisins add a new chewy element in contrast to the crunch of the nuts.

If your raisins are a bit hard or dry, you can sit them in some orange juice for a while to plump up. Just pat them dry with kitchen paper before adding them to the flapjack mixture..

You can plump out raisins in this way to add to cakes, bakes and porridge too.

FLAPJACK VARIATIONS

Once you have a good basic recipe for flapjacks, you can change the flavours by adding a variety of ingredients. Try choosing two flavours from the list below, that you think might go together well.

• Banana Slices
• Cashew Nuts
• Chocolate Chips
• Desiccated Coconut
• Dried Pineapple
• Dried Apricots
• Fresh Raspberries
• Fresh Blueberries
• Fresh Strawberries
• Fresh Blackberries 
• Fudge Pieces
• Grated Carrot
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground Ginger
• Walnuts
• Peanut Butter
• Peanuts
• Pistachio Nuts
• Raisins
• Sultanas
• Toffee Pieces

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE SCOTTISH OATY WALNUT RAISIN FLAPJACKS?

1. Porridge oats - also called rolled oats
2. Dairy free spread - or butter if you are vegetarian
3. Banana - mashed until soft, which sweetens the flapjacks 
4. Maple syrup - honey or agave nectar to sweeten
5. Raisins - adds a chew element to the flapjacks
6. Walnuts - roughly chopped and added for a bit of crunch
7. Flax seeds - also known as linseeds, a healthy extra (optional)
8. Chia seeds - a healthy extra (optional)
9. Salt - just a pinch

WHY ARE SCOTTISH WALNUT AND RAISIN FLAPJACKS SO GOOD?

• They are easy to make
• They are a great recipe for kids to make
• They are quick to make
• They are fairly healthy for a snack
• They give you a slow released energy boost, thanks to the oats
• They taste great

MORE FLAPJACK RECIPES TO TRY

1. Banana, Coconut & Chocolate Chip Flapjacks
2. Chewy Pineapple, Banana & Chocolate Flapjacks
3. Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate Flapjacks
4. Scottish Carrot, Banana & Chocolate Chip Flapjacks
5. Scottish Fresh Blueberry Flapjacks

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Scottish flapjacks, walnut flapjacks, flapjacks, oat bars, vegan flapjacks, walnut and raisin flapjacks, traybake, Scottish traybake, energy bars, snacks, vegan snacks

snack

Scottish, vegan, vegetarian

Yield: 16

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

Scottish Walnut and Raisin Flapjacks

Traditional Scottish oaty bars with walnuts and raisins. Very easy to make and chewy just as they should be.

Prep time: 10 MCook time: 25 MTotal time: 35 M

Ingredients:

• 180g/2 cups porridge oats
• 125g/½ cup butter or dairy free spread
• 1 large banana, mashed until soft
• 4 tbsp maple syrup, honey or agave nectar
• 150g/1 cup raisins
• 100g/ ¾ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp flax seeds (linseeds)
• 2 tsp chia seeds
• a pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 180c/160c fan/350f/gas mark 4.
2. Grease or line a square brownie pan.
3. Melt the butter or dairy free spread.
4. Mash a banana until soft and add to the melted butter with the maple syrup (or other sweetener) and mix well.
5. In a large bowl mix the oats, raisins, walnuts and seeds, then add the wet ingredients and mix well.
6. Pour the flapjack mixture into the brownie pan and press firmly until level, then pop in the oven and bake until golden for 25 -30 minutes. When it's ready it should be springy to the touch.
7. Leave to cool in the pan then cut into 16 squares.
8. Enjoy!

Notes:

For best results keep these flapjacks in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
You can freeze these flapjacks for 3-4 months. Divide with freezerproof non-stick baking parchment and freeze in a freezer-friendly bag or tun. To defrost remove from the freezer and defrost in the fridge overnight.

Calories
115.45

Fat (grams)
4.31

Sat. Fat (grams)
0.70

Carbs (grams)
18.39

Fiber (grams)
1.62

Net carbs
16.76

Sugar (grams)
10.36

Protein (grams)
2.69

Sodium (milligrams)
23.97

Cholesterol (grams)
2.06

Created using The Recipes Generator