Flapjack is one of my all-time favorite desserts—a comforting classic that’s simple yet satisfying. This version of the traditional British treat brings a festive twist, making it perfect for the holiday season. Loaded with a mix of dried fruits and crunchy nuts, each bite offers a burst of flavor and texture. The addition of warm, Christmassy spices like cinnamon and nutmeg will fill your home with an irresistible aroma, making this flapjack a cozy treat that captures the spirit of the season. Whether you enjoy it with a cup of tea, as a snack, or a sweet ending to a meal, this festive flapjack is bound to become a holiday favorite.

Ingredients and Substitutions

The main ingredients of this Chrismtas Flapjack are of course, oats, butter, sugar and golden syrup. I don’t recommend substituting any of these ingredients. To make this recipe vegan-friendly you can use vegan block butter (just make sure you don’t use margarine). The Stork baking block is great, and so is the Naturli one found in most supermarkets. Otherwise use regular dairy salted butter.

This Christmas Flapjack is spruced up a bit with the addition of nuts and fruit. I used a mixture of almonds, brasil nuts, hazel nuts and cashew nuts.

You can use any dried fruit you like, if all you have is raisins or sultanas you can just use those. There’s no need to add lots of different ones if you don’t want to. I used a mixture of sultanas, dried apricot and dried cranberries because it’s what I usually have on hand and I love the colour brought by the apricot and cranberries.

The Christmas Flapjack is taken to the next level with the addition of dried cinnamon and dried nutmeg. Take care when measuring out the nutmeg as it’s a strong flavour and too much can spoil the balance. I use just 1/4 of a teaspoon (or a pinch).

Making the Christmas Flapjack

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degres F.

Prepare a baking tray by lining with greaseproof paper.

Lay out the nuts in an even layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for between 6-10 minutes. Check on them every couple of minutes to ensure they don’t burn. You’re looking for the nuts to have darkened slightly, and they should become very fragrant. Allow them to cool for a minute or two before adding them to a food processor to roughly chop. You may also chop by hand if you prefer. Set the nuts aside for later.

If you are using larger pieces of dried fruit like dried apricots, chop those roughly too and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter, golden syrup and sugar together until the butter has melted and all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside for later.

In a large mixing bowl, add the oats, flour, chopped nuts, dried fruit and the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Mix well to combine.

Next, pour over the butter sugar mixture and stir really well to combine. Ensure there are no dry clumps by giving it a really good mix.

Tip the mixture into the baking tray and press down with a dessert spoon until packed and smooth. You can wet the spoon under the tap to stop it from sticking to the christmas flapjack mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is nice and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for half an hour before removing from the baking dish and cutting into squares or bars.

The christmas flapjack will store in an air-tight container for about a week (if you can resist eating them all that is!)

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Christmas Flapjack

Fruit and nut flapjack with festive christmas spices

Ingredients

150 g Mixed nuts I used almonds, brasil nuts, hazel nuts and cashews.
200 g Salted Butter, cubed
175 g Golden Syrup
200 g Light Brown Sugar
350 g Rolled Oats
100 g Flour
200 g Dried Fruit e.g. Sultanas, dates, apricots, cranberries
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Dried Ginger Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon Powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
Prepare a 9 x 12 inch baking dish by lining with greaseproof paper.

Prepare the nuts

On a separate baking sheet, add the mixed nuts and toast in the oven for 6-10 minutes. Check on them every couple of minutes to make sure they don't burn. They're done when they're slightly browned and have become fragrant.
When the nuts are toasted chop them roughly, either by hand or using a food processor. Set aside for later.

Prepare the fruit

If you are using larger pieces of dried fruit like dates or apricots, chop them roughly and set aside. If you're using prechopped or smaller fruit, skip this step.

Make the Christmas Flapjack

To a saucepan, add the butter, golden syrup and sugar. Warm gently until the butter has melted and the sugar has all dissolved.
Add the oats, flour, fruit, nuts and spices to a large mixing bowl. Mix well to combine.
Add the melted butter and sugar mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Mix very thoroughly to ensure no dry bits!
Tip the mix into your prepared baking dish. Use a wet metal spoon to compact the mixture into the dish and smooth over the top.
Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes until the top has become golden brown.
Allow to cool for half an hour before removing from the baking dish and cutting into squares.

Notes

This recipe is easy to make plant based by swapping out the butter. You can use any vegan block butter, just make sure you don’t get vegan margarine / spreadable butter or the flapjack won’t set properly. The stork baking block is perfect, I also like Naturli which you can find in most supermarkets.