Fruity Oat Biscuits

June 24, 2007

Home baking disappears pretty rapidly in my house with the sons in residence. When The Spouse goes rattling the biscuit containers, looking for “something sweet” to go with his cup of char,  the cupboard is bare. 

Supply was struggling to keep up with demand until I came across an old recipe of mine with the magic words at the bottom – “Makes about six dozen.”

I used to make batches of these when son James first went flatting during his second year at university. He’d spent a year in a hall of residence but was now fending for himself. Student budgets don’t leave much spare cash for packets of biscuits – which don’t last long anyway in a house of growing lads.

This is a fairly basic recipe. You can vary the spices and dried fruit – or leave them out altogether. You can replace them with nuts or chocolate chips. If you don’t like coconut, replace it with an extra 1/2 cup of rolled oats. But I think the coconut gives the biscuits added crispness. 

Fruity Oat Biscuits

180g butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

Melt the butter in the microwave oven in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl. Add the sugars, stirring well then add the egg and mix again. Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and add to the butter mix with the vanilla and salt. Sift the flour and spices  into another bowl then add the rolled oats and coconut and stir in the currants and chopped apricots. Mix in the wet ingredients.

Line baking sheets with baking paper and spoon on teaspoons of the dough, allowing room for spreading. Bake in a pre-heated 180C oven for 12 minutes. Remove onto wire trays to cool. Makes about six dozen.

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