Addictive oatcakes

 

These don't look like much compared to the elaborate, highly decorated treats of the season, but trust me, this simple blend of rolled oats, brown sugar, flour and butter is irresistible!

I’ve become addicted to my second venture into this year’s seasonal baking. Since I discovered the recipe for Nova Scotia Oatcakes online a few days ago, I’ve made three batches, and it won’t be long until I’m rattling the pans again to make a fourth.

Unlike the mincemeat tarts I wrote about earlier, with their thrice-cooked candied peel, multi-ingredient filling and requisite battle with the pastry gods, these cookies are simple. They have seven basic ingredients and take about 30 minutes from start to plateful. If you shut your eyes to the butter and skimp a bit on the brown sugar, you can even pretend they’re healthy given their high rolled-oats content.

There’s nothing wrong with elaborate Christmas baking – for many people, it’s all part of the fun. But when I put my hand into the cookie jar lately, I’ve been noticing that it comes out with an oatcake instead of a tart almost every time.

--

The recipe, tips and variations, can be found at

https://kellyneil.com/nova-scotia-oatcakes/

For those who want a quick summary without going to the site, here’s what I’ve been doing: Combine one cup of large-flake oats, three-quarters of a cup of flour, half a teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of baking power into a bowl. In another bowl, beat half a cup of room-temperature butter until it’s light and fluffy, then add half a cup of brown sugar and one-quarter teaspoon of vanilla and beat until smooth.

Put dry ingredients into the wet ones and work together until combined. Put dough on floured work surface, roll until one-quarter inch thick, cut into rectangles and put on parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are golden.

Make again the next day!