Caramel Oaties

Wotchers!

As regulars here may know, I am partial to some oats in a recipe. Their crunchiness, and the little lick of salt (which is a must) are, to my palate, delightful.

So I was pleased to discover a biscuit recipe recently that looked right up my alley – oats and flavours of caramel. Bonus: it was a one-bowl, one spoon/spatula/fork mixture.

Alas, they were a little light on detail, but I thought the recipe had promise and so I rustled up a batch. Then I went back to the drawing board and chewed my culinary pencil and set about improving them.

Something that didn’t need improving was the speed at which they can be rustled up – just 30 minutes from start to finish.

What we have here is a tale of two biscuits, and it all hinges on what sugar you use. In trying to come up with a way of describing the differences in flavour I landed on chocolate. Now, in general, I prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, but every now and then, a bar of Milka or some Galaxy Minstrels just hit the spot.

• So if you’re in a milk chocolate frame of mind, then rustle up these biscuits using soft, light brown sugar and a touch of vanilla.
• If, however, you’re after something more complex, choose soft, dark brown sugar and no vanilla. The rich, dark, caramel flavours really pack a flavour punch.

I prefer the dark sugar biscuits, others in this household prefer the light brown/vanilla version. I made a batch of each and so everyone is happy.

Word of warning: these biscuits are very sweet. But paired with a robust cup of tea or strong cup of coffee/espresso, they are the perfect indulgence. And due to their intensity of flavour, it IS possible to enjoy just one or two at a time – but you’ll be relieved to hear that I won’t be enforcing this rigidly.

BONUS: You can make these with regular oats or with gluten-free oats. They are delicious either way.

Caramel Oaties

125g rolled oats – gluten-free or regular
125g plain flour – gluten-free or regular
125g soft brown sugar – dark or light. Muscovado if you’re feeling fancy                                 
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
125g unsalted butter (or salted, and halve the additional salt).
1tsp vanilla extract (only if using light brown sugar)

• Heat the oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan.
• Line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment.
• Put the oats, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl and stir together, making sure to break up any lumps in the sugar.
• Heat the butter in a small pan until just melted.
• Stir through the vanilla if using, and pour the mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
• Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and smooth out to an even layer. You should aim for it being about 5-10mm deep. Don’t worry about getting it to stick together, firmly pressed is fine. The butter and the sugar will melt together in the oven and stick everything together.
• Bake for15 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.
• Remove from the oven and mark into squares (4 x 4 is simplest) whilst hot. I use the edge of my thin metal dough scraper.
• Allow the biscuits to cool in the tin, then break apart and store in an airtight container.