Where did these Golden Syrup and Oat Cookies originate from? Read on…
I was asked recently if I would like to take part in a baking competition (in connection with McCarthy and Stone who build retirement homes), which is celebrating our mothers (as mother’s day is just around the corner) – and the recipes which have been passed down to us by our mum’s.
Of course I wanted to join in. I remember baking with both my mom and my gran (my mum’s mum) when I was young, which really got me started on my baking path.
Mum and I used to bake these particular cookies together. Back in the day though I would have called them biscuits, as cookies were something weird and wonderful from the ‘other side of the pond’.
The smell of golden syrup and oats baking together is so evocative; it completely takes me back to when I was little, making these with mom supervising me. They are almost flapjack like, but also like thin chewy lace cookies. The umber color is also another reason that I like them. The sugars caramelise and give these cookies their lovely deep caramel hue.
The recipe is a fairly simple one but I don’t remember bakes being as fancy or elaborate as they are nowadays. This is good old fashioned plain, honest baking which was the order of the day when I was wee in the late 1970’s.
And the plate these are pictured on at the top is something my mom will recognize straight away. This plate I found at a reclamation type place recently, but it’s the same dinner service we had when I was growing up. So, the plate and the cookies are a double hit of nostalgia…Here’s the recipe.
Yield: Approx 20 cookies
Ingredients:100grams of self-raising flour100grams of porridge oats1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda100 grams unsalted butter½ teaspoon salt100 grams caster sugar2 tablespoons golden syrup
Method:Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Line a couple of large baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, oats and bicarb.
In a large saucepan melt the butter, sugar and syrup and add the salt.
When fluid, remove from the heat and pour over the flour mix. Stir until all the ingredients are just combined. Take heaped tablespoons of the mix and place on the baking sheets, making sure they are spaced well apart – they spread.
Bake them in the oven for 10 minutes or until they have turned a deep orangey color. Transfer these to a baking sheet and allow to cool before removing them from the paper.
These store well in an airtight container for a few days and stay chewy and soft.
I hope these bring back memories for some of you, like they did me. And for those that haven’t tried them before – enjoy!
Early Happy Mother’s day Mum!
