I adore flapjacks and I know you do too so I thought I’d create another healthy recipe without all the syrup that you find in ‘traditional’ flapjack recipes. They are suitable for anyone on a gluten free and/or refined sugar free diet. They are perfect for anyone with coeliac disease and can be adapted for those following a vegan diet too.
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I’m a huge fan of flapjacks but I know that, despite their reputation as being ‘healthy’ they rarely are due to the large amounts of syrup in them. I’ve therefore created this recipe with no refined sugar and definitely no syrup.
Instead of syrup I’ve used a little honey along with dates to make a paste that binds the oats and flour together.
They sound lovely but aren’t they complicated to make?
Unlike other recipes that have a crumble or ‘streusel’ topping that has to be made in addition to the base, my recipe is made all-in-one.
The base flapjack uses the same mixture at the crumble topping so in effect the layer of apple is sandwiched between two flapjack layers.
Whilst you’re making the flapjack layers the apple can be cooking so that it takes very little time to assemble the flapjacks ready for baking.
So what equipment will I need?
You’re going to need the following to make this recipe:
- A food processor
- A good 20cm x 20cm brownie tin to bake them in
- A small saucepan to cook the apple in
- A peeler to peel the apples with, or a clever peeler and corer machine
- A large mixing bowl
- A chopping board for cutting the apple on
- A sharp knife for cutting the apple (these knives are one of the best investments I’ve made in the kitchen!)
- A wooden spoon for combining the mixture
Why do you use flour in these flapjacks?
I decided to create a recipe that was a bit more cakey than a traditional flapjack. Since I love apple crumble and wanted to combine the idea of a crumble with a flapjack.
I’ve used my wholegrain gluten free flour blend but of course you could use a standard gluten free flour blend or wheat flour.
The advantage of my flour blend is that it is a wholegrain blend that contains no rice. All other gluten free flour blends are made from predominantly white refined starches that include rice flour.
Of course there is nothing inherently wrong with that except that white refined starches contain no nutritional qualities. The benefits of wholegrain’s are well-known which is why I created a blend based upon naturally gluten free flours.
If you’d like to know why I didn’t include rice flour in my blend then check out my article, arsenic in gluten free food.
Can I use eating apples? I can’t get cooking apples.
Yes you can use eating apples if you don’t have cooking apples.
The main differences between cooking and eating apples is that the latter cook down into a puree and are more sour.
If you’re using eating apples you’ll need to cook them for longer than the recipe states and with less water.
In my experience four sliced eating apples will require approx. 65ml water. They need to be simmered with the lid on for approx. 10 minutes before lifting the lid off and boiling for around 5 minutes. By this time the apple pieces should be soft and there should be no liquid left.
Can I use pre-prepared apple puree for these apple crumble flapjacks?
Yes! In fact if you’re short of time that would be the perfect solution. You’ll need around 500g apple puree for the recipe.
If I was using apple puree I would still add the ground cinnamon and raisins/cranberries before topping with the crumble.
How do I store them?
Once fully cooled you can store these honey flapjacks in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
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Other flapjack recipes:
Pin the recipe for honey apple crumble flapjacks
Honey Apple Crumble Flapjacks Recipe
Honey Apple Crumble Flapjacks (Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free)
Ingredients
For the flapjack and crumble layer
- 100 g dates - (dried pitted)
- 100 g boiling water
- 40 g honey - (runny) or maple syrup if vegan
- 125 g butter - softened (coconut oil if vegan)
- 150 g oats - Check gluten free if you need them to be
- 160 g Free From Fairy gluten free plain flour blend
For the apple layer:
- 400 g apples - (I use Bramley cooking apples). If you have eating apples see text above. Peeled, cored and sliced into small pieces
- 150 ml water
- 50 g raisins - (you could use cranberries or other dried fruit of choice)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 10 g Honey - or maple syrup if vegan
Instructions
- Place the dried, pitted dates into the bowl of a food processor and add the 100ml boiling water. Leave to soak for around 5 minutes while you gather the other ingredients and prepare the apples
- Peel and core the apples then slice them into small pieces and place them in a small saucepan along with the water. Cook with the lid on, over a medium/high heat for 5-10 minutes until they form a thick paste.
- Meanwhile, once the dates have been soaking for around 5 minutes add the honey (or maple syrup) and softened butter (or coconut oil).
- Switch the food processor on and blitz until a smooth paste forms
- Add the flour and blitz once more until combined before adding the oats and stirring them gently through. Depending on your machine you may want to do this by tipping the date and flour mixture into a separate bowl then adding the oats.
- Once cooked, add the raisins or other fruit to the apple mixture along with the cinnamon, stir well and set aside
- Now tip 2/3 of the flapjack mixture into the bottom of your baking tin (if it's non-stick you shouldn't need to grease it but you can rub a little butter or oil around the bottom and sides if you're not sure) and press firmly and evenly into the tin
- Top with the apple mixture and then, using your fingers, scatter chunks loosely over the top of the apple mix and gently press down.
- Place in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees C/ 180 degree fan/ 392 F/ Gas Mark 6 and bake for around 25 minutes
- Leave to cool before cutting into 12 pieces