Healthy Flapjack Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can flapjack be healthy? ›

Helping to lower cholesterol – Flapjacks are low in saturated fat so they won't raise your cholesterol levels – they can even help lower them if you eat them instead of other foods high in saturated fats like vegetable oil-based spreads. If you want to cut out all fat from your diet then try a low fat flapjack.

Golden syrup – This gives the lovely sticky texture. You can replace it with honey if you prefer but it can be more unpredictable as honey is a natural product where the consistency varies. The flavour can also be quite strong. Brown sugar – Soft light brown sugar gives a good flavour but caster sugar will work too.

Flapjacks and muffins (such as blueberry) sound healthier than cake, but often aren't much better. A blueberry muffin has around 400kcal, while a jam doughnut has nearer to 250kcal. A 50g piece of flapjack will contain around 250kcal – 50kcal more than a piece of Victoria sponge of the same weight.

Oats are the primary source of protein in flapjacks. They are also high in fibre and carbohydrates, which makes them an essential ingredient for vegans and non-vegans alike.

Made with high-calorie ingredients, such as sugar and butter, a flapjack can easily have as many as 500kcal per serving. If you are aiming to lose weight and you are looking for low calorie recipes, then those high-calorie recipes may not be suitable.

In the US, a flapjack is a less common way of saying "pancake"; in the UK, it's a chewy, sweet granola bar.

Golden syrup is made up of sugar and water. Therefore, it is in no comparison healthier than honey. However, honey is a natural sweetener with nutrients, whereas golden syrup is empty calories. Therefore, honey is more nutritious than golden syrup.

In the U.S., golden syrup is usually sold under the name of light treacle, but it's not readily available in many grocery stores. In cooking recipes, molasses and light treacle are often used interchangeably because their textures and flavor profiles are similar.

Also known as light treacle, golden syrup makes its way into recipes with treacle in the title, like this Blood Orange Treacle Pudding.

Unhealthiest: Cheesecake

Depending on where you order or buy your cheesecake, one slice can have anywhere between 300 and 1,000 calories!

What is the healthiest cake in the world? ›

Using NHS Live Well Food Label Guidance, we can see that these are a high fat and high salt snack. Anything more than 17.5g (per 100g) of fat is considered high fat, and anything higher than 1.5g (per 100g) of salt is considered high salt. Surprisingly, these lentil chips are also a high sugar snack.

Some people assume that products like flapjacks, cereal bars and wholemeal muffins are much healthier than they actually are. These products still contain high levels of sugar and fat – so check the labels before you buy. Don't be taken in by the hype.

Protein is an essential nutrient for muscle repair and growth, and by including a substantial amount of protein in these flapjacks, they can support your muscle-building efforts when combined with regular strength training.

Some flapjacks are made from highly processed oats stuck together with butter and sugar, which makes them low in fibre and high in fat and sugar.

1 Flapjack of flapjack (Marks & Spencer) contains 228 Calories. The macronutrient breakdown is 55% carbs, 40% fat, and 6% protein. This has a relatively high calorie density, with 430 Calories per 100g.

If in doubt though, it's best to do your research and take your own supplies so you can trust what you are consuming! One of my favourite running snacks is my homemade flapjacks. These are a great little snack pre-run or on the go.

While flapjacks is an informal nickname for pancakes, some people may use the terms hotcakes and griddlecakes to refer to specific types of pancakes. In the UK, the word flapjack refers to something entirely different—a baked good made from oats that resembles a granola bar.