Flapjack Recipe | Lyle's Golden Syrup (2024)

FAQs

Can you substitute golden syrup for honey in flapjacks? ›

It can be used wherever honey is used, providing a lesser flavour spectrum but saving rather a lot of cost; this would include on porridge, pancakes and waffles, in flapjacks, ginger cakes and similar. To really showcase this ingredient, try making our golden syrup dumplings.

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.

Golden syrup can be a delightful alternative to sugar in cakes. Its high fructose content allows you to use a quarter less golden syrup than the sugar required in the recipe, but you will still achieve the same level of sweetness – allowing you to enjoy a deliciously sweet cake.

For me, too much golden syrup makes them hard to bite through and dunking is simply not an option with flapjacks. Golden syrup can also make flapjacks sickly sweet. Cooking times and oven temperature are important.

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.

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

Golden syrup or light treacle is a thick, amber-coloured form of inverted sugar syrup made by the process of refining sugar cane or sugar beet juice into sugar. It is used in a variety of baking recipes and desserts.

Golden syrup is mellower and made from sugar

It also contains more sucrose than maple syrup and, as a result, has a sweeter flavour. Left: sugar cane. Right: sugar beet. Unlike maple syrup, golden syrup is produced from sugar.

Golden syrup is made from cane sugar or sugar beet. It's produced by further processing one of the by-products of the sugar refining process. It's often found in baked goods and desserts. Despite being made from grapes this still has a high sugar content, so isn't much healthier than regular table sugar.

It is recommended all Lyle's products be consumed within three months of opening. Over time pressure can build up in the tin in the space between the syrup and the lid, therefore it is not advisable to use these products if they are past their best before date.

Which is healthier golden syrup or corn syrup? ›

Golden syrup

Although it doesn't offer any significant nutritional benefits over corn syrup, it can easily be used as a substitute in most recipes if you don't have any corn syrup on hand ( 7 ). It works especially well when making candy or caramel and can be used in place of light corn syrup in a 1:1 ratio.

Why do my homemade flapjacks fall apart? This can happen if you overcook or undercook your flapjacks. When you overcook a flapjack, the golden syrup dries out and it becomes crumbly. An undercooked flapjack will have a raw doughy texture that doesn't hold its shape.

Why do my flapjacks go hard? Flapjacks can go hard if the temperature is too high when heating the butter, sugar and syrup mixture on the hob. Instead, keep it on a low heat, stirring occasionally. During baking, rotating the tray in the oven can help them cook more evenly.

The lumps form because flour contains gluten, a sticky substance that activates when it gets wet and mixed. If gluten is over-mixed it becomes tough, rubbery, and unappetizing. Don't worry about the lumps; they'll disappear when you cook your flapjacks!

Golden syrup is more economical to use than honey, but if you wanted to use honey it is possible as the two are fairly interchangeable. However, we would mention that honey can have a very assertive flavour in baked goods, which can be overwhelming.

Maple syrup is one of the best substitutes for honey because it has a very similar texture and consistency. If you usually drizzle honey over pancakes or enjoy mixing natural yogurt with honey, then maple syrup is the perfect honey replacement. When used for baking, it can directly replace honey in the recipe.

Other options to try include golden syrup, maple syrup or molasses (not blackstrap). These substitutes can replace honey measure for measure. They may change the flavor of your recipe slightly, but that could turn out to be a good thing.

Maple Syrup

But, yes, maple syrup is an excellent honey substitute in recipes because the taste won't be noticeable once you mix it with other ingredients. It's even vegetarian- and vegan-friendly and gluten-free.