These healthy chocolate flapjacks are so yummy. Don't get too distracted by the word healthy, when you're eating them that won't be top of your mind! They are chewy chocolatey cocoa flapjacks, studded with chunks of rich dark chocolate...totally delicious!
What you'll love about the recipe
- A perfectly satisfying, chewy, chocolatey oat flapjack. Enjoy as a snack or healthy dessert. You could even eat them as breakfast bars!
- Low in added sugar (just one tablespoon of honey for 6 servings, plus dark chocolate)
- High in fibre - packed with wholegrain oats which will keep you feeling full and stabilise your blood sugar
- Easy to make. It takes just 10 minutes to make these healthy chocolate flapjacks, using a few everyday ingredients
- Easy to transport as an on the go snack or for lunchbox treats
For another healthy chocolate treat sweetened with fruit, you might also like to try these moist chocolate muffins made with coconut flour. You can also browse more healthy homemade flapjack recipes.
Ingredients
Oats. If necessary, use certified gluten free oats, or just standard porridge oats if you're not GF. Instant oats are not ideal as they won't give such a good texture.
Banana. The riper the better, as it'll have more natural sweetness. Bananas also help to stick the flapjacks together.
Chocolate banana flapjacks don't taste strongly of banana as there's only one in the recipe, but if you want to make the recipe without banana, replace it with 120 ml of apple sauce.
Butter, coconut oil or olive oil. Choose whichever you prefer.
Honey. Just a tablespoon helps to bring out the rich dark chocolatey flavour. You could also use maple syrup if you prefer.
Cocoa. Make sure it's unsweetened cocoa rather than drinking chocolate. Cocoa gives a fantastic depth of flavour in baking.
It's good for you too, as it is high in antioxidants. (Read more here about the health benefits of cocoa.)
If you're feeling indulgent, why not try this healthy chocolate porridge which is made with cocoa?
If you prefer you can also use cacao powder, which is a less unprocessed form of cocoa.
Dark chocolate. I've also added chunks of chocolate to the cocoa flapjack mixture. Use chocolate chips if you prefer. They are optional, (but more chocolate always seems like a good thing;))
For vegan chocolate flapjacks, use coconut oil or olive oil, maple syrup and dairy free chocolate.
How to make healthy chocolate flapjacks
I use a 20 x 10 cm loaf tin to cook this quantity of mixture. If you want to double the mixture, use a 20 x 20 square tin.
Place a piece of baking paper in the base of the tin so that it is easier to remove the flapjacks.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan).
If you are using butter or coconut oil, melt it gently in a pan over a low heat. If your honey is hard or set, add that to the pan too so that it melts down and is easier to mix in.
Meanwhile, peel and mash the banana with a fork in a large bowl.
Add the oats, cocoa, butter or oil and honey to the mashed banana and mix well.
Stir in the chocolate chunks. It's hard not to eat the mixture at this point, but it tastes even better when cooked!
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin.
Bake for 30 minutes. If necessary turn the tin partway through baking so that the flapjacks cook evenly.
These chocolate flapjacks smell utterly delicious when straight out the oven, but leave them to cool for a few minutes before taking them out the tin as they might break.
When they are comfortably cool enough to handle, remove from the tin and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Cut into 6 pieces, or make them smaller and turn them into chocolate mini bites if you prefer.
Storage
Healthy chocolate flapjacks will store in an airtight container for 3 or 4 days. You can also wrap them well and freeze for up to 3 months.
Frequently asked questions
That depends on the recipe! Many flapjacks contain a lot of butter and sugar. This cocoa flapjack recipe with dark chocolate has just half a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of butter per generous portion. Healthy chocolate flapjacks are also packed with the goodness of wholegrain oats, banana and unsweetened cocoa.
Each of these flapjacks has 177 calories. However, the portions are pretty generous, so if you are trying to cut down on calories, you might want to cut the recipe into 8 portions, or turn them into little flapjack bites to serve with fruit.
Yes, both porridge and rolled oats will make delicious flapjacks. You can also use jumbo oats if you want a super chunky texture. Instant oats are not so good as they are much finer in texture.
Other healthy flapjack recipes
If you like baking with oats, you might also enjoy these other healthy recipes. They are all low in added sugar and gluten free.
- Banana flapjacks are sweetened with a ripe banana
- The gluten free granola bar is sweetened with honey
- Apricot oat slices have a thick layer of apricots through the middle of the bar
- And these delicious almond butter flapjacks are fudgy, nutty and dairy free
You might also like these healthy chocolate brownies, which are made with adzuki beans rather than flour.
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Recipe
Healthy Chocolate Flapjacks
Equipment
- large bowl and fork
- saucepan if using butter rather than oil
- baking tin 20 cm x 10 cm
- baking paper
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe banana
- 30 g butter or use coconut or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 120 g oats
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- 35 g dark chocolate, cut into pea sized chunks optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line the base of a 20 x 10 cm baking tin with baking paper.
- Melt the butter over a very low heat. If your honey is quite solid, add it to the pan too to soften it. Skip this step if you've using a liquid oil.
- Mash the banana with a fork in a large bowl.
- Add the oats, butter, honey and cocoa to the banana and mix well. Add the chocolate chunks.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined baking tin. Bake for 30 minutes, turning partway if necessary.
- Leave the flapjacks to cool in the tin until cool enough to handle. Remove from the tray and finish cooling on a wire rack. Cut into 6 squares or slices.
Notes
- You can either use butter, or a healthy oil such as coconut or olive oil.
- Maple syrup can be substituted for honey.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is for guidance only
Alissa says
My daughter didn't notice these were healthy, she loved them. So did I, such an easy recipe thanks.