Healthy Flapjack (Oat Bar) Recipe For Kids (Great For After School Snacks)

I love the sweet taste, the oaty, gooey, bite of deliciousness you get with a fresh batch of oat bars, especially when they're right out of the oven.

You with me? Great, you're going to love this healthy oat bar / flapjack recipe for kids. I mean, they're not only for kids, just saying 🙂

"Oat Bar" vs. "Flapjack"

The term "flapjack" can refer to either a pancake (in the USA) or what is an oat bar (in the UK). I first heard of this recipe from a friend in the UK, who called it a "Healthy Flapjack Recipe", and for that reason I will stick with calling them flapjacks for the purpose of this recipe.

Healthy Flapjack Recipe For Kids (& Adults )

This clean eating healthy flapjack recipe for kids is free from all refined sugars and uses very ripe bananas, a little maple syrup, and date paste for natural sweetness.

Store bought flapjacks (& most homemade recipes) use buckets of refined sugar. Not these.

They're a healthy flapjack oat snack and perfect for after school snacks, lunch boxes, picnics... you get the idea.

And obviously you'd make enough so it's not just the kids who get one. Or two.

How To Make Oat Flapjacks Healthy

The refined sugar is what traditionally makes a flapjack a less than healthy snack. So, when you take out the refined sugar, it becomes a far healthier snack than the store bought versions.

Once you swap out the refined sugar for natural sugars (the bananas, dates, and maple syrup) you've got an awesome treat bar, and I can tell you, the kids won't notice these are refined sugar free!

They're gone in no time at all, so while I'll give you the storage instructions below, I'm pretty sure you won't need them.

More healthy snacks for kids

• No Bake Date Slice
• Peppermint flourless brownies (Gluten Free & Dairy Free)
• Paleo Chocolate Marshmallows
• Gluten Free Strawberry Cupcake
• Pumpkin Oat Flour Muffins

Healthy Flapjack Recipe With Dates

In this house, we're huge date fans. Seriously, we love them. Kids, adults, they're used quite a lot and I've not found many things that don't work when you use dates as a sugar replacement.

In this recipe, I've used date paste and 'chopped up small' dates in the mix. The banana flavor come through and having some chopped up dates in there gives a little something extra. Dates make these soft and chewy, perfect for really little kids as much as anyone else!

If you don't love dates quite like I do, feel free to leave the chopped dates out, the rest of the recipe stays the same.

How To Make This Healthy Flapjack Recipe For Kids

These are so simple to make, you can have a batch prepared and cooked and ready to eat warm in less than half an hour.

What you need:

• 3 Cups organic oats - I like these. They don't absolutely need to be organic, but that's my preference. Whole grain is best. You can use gluten-free oats if you wish.
• ⅓ Cup butter
• ⅓ Cup pitted dates - keep 3 or 4 out of the date paste to chop up and add in your mixture
• ⅔ Cup mashed banana
• 3 tablespoon maple syrup - I use this one . You can swap this with honey if you like, but be prepared for a thicker mix!

Step 1

Make your date paste. Simply take your dates and add ¾ tablespoon boiling water. Blend your paste in a large bowl until it's smooth. Add a little more boiling water if needed, you want the paste to be really thick.

Once your paste is blended, add your bananas and blend the mixture together. Put to one side.

Dice up the 3 or 4 dates you still have. Set aside.

Step 2

Melt your butter and Maple syrup over a low heat. Add the warm butter and maple syrup to the oats and mix.

Step 3

Pour your banana paste and date paste mixture into the buttery oats and mix well. Add the diced dates if using those. Your mixture should bind well, and be sticky.

Step 4

Line your baking pan with parchment paper. Rub a little butter on the paper to stop the Flapjack sticking. Push your mixture well into the pan, so it's compact and even on top.

Step 5

Bake for around 375F (190C) (depending on your oven) for 18 minutes. The Flapjacks will be soft when you take them out of the oven, they'll harden up as they cool.

Variations and Recipe Swaps

Add more diced fruit: If you prefer, you can add finely diced dried fruit into your mix. Dried apricots, cranberries, cherries, or raisins are great options. Just don't go overboard with quantity there.

Add Protein Powder: Add a scoop for unflavored whey protein or soy protein to your mix for a little extra "umph".

Add Seeds and Nuts: Think pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, or pistachios. This gives the bars a few more nutrients, and adds a nice little crunch texture.

Add Chocolate Chips (or Carob Chips): Not really "healthy", but makes them fun and kids love it. The melted chocolate adds a sinful sweetness to the bars.

How Long Do Homemade Flapjacks Last?

Not long in our house but if you're slightly more restrained than we are, these will last for about 5 days. In fact, on the rare occasion there's been a few left over, I can tell you they get even better after a day or two. I don't know why but the flavors seem to intensify.

How To Store Homemade Flapjacks

You can store these healthy flapjacks for 5 days in an airtight container like these. These are brilliant if like me you're trying to cut down on your plastics, and I use them all the time.

Make sure the Flapjacks are fully cooled before you store them.

How To Freeze Flapjacks

You can freeze Flapjacks! I know, who knew. Just put your cooled flapjacks in an zip lock bag and throw them in the freezer. You can keep them there for up to a month.

When you want them, let them defrost fully before you eat them. No one likes an ice cold flapjack. Unless it's broken up and sprinkled on chocolate ice cream 🙂