Oat and Chocolate Biscuits

What to do with some naughty oats skulking in your pantry?  Why, check out some recipes from The Food Saver's A-Z cookbook, of course.  This cookbook by Alex Elliott-Howery and Jaimee Edwards was written to help with using up those things in our pantries and fridges that lie around like sunning seals on a rock waiting to be (re-)discovered.

    I had rolled oats and dark chocolate and wholemeal plain flour lurking around, so these biscuits were a goer.  I was getting in some practice for Anzac Day when I make dozens of oaty biscuits (minus the chocolate) for the Anzac Service.  

    I only made a couple of dozen biscuits for Anzac Day this year, though in the past I've made many.  Did you know that Anzac biscuits are protected by law in Australia?  You can't change the ingredients, but if you do, you can't call 'em Anzac biscuits!  I think the fine is up to $50,000!!

  

crunchy and delicious - and chocolatey!

Makes 12 biscuits:

ingredients:

95g./3.5 oz. rolled oats (not instant)

75g./2.6 oz. plain flour (I used wholemeal and regular)

45g./1.6 oz. bits and bobs - i.e. added extras - like coconut, seeds, nuts, raisins -  I used 25g. coconut and 20g. sour dried cherries

75g./2.6 oz. caster sugar (or brown sugar if you like 'em chewy)

pinch of sea salt flakes

80g./2.75 oz. salted butter

1 Tbs honey or golden syrup or your fave syrup

1/2 tsp bi-carb soda (baking soda)

120g./4 big oz. hazelnut and raisin chocolate (I used Lindt) or chocolate of your choice, melted for 1 minute or so    see Notes

sea salt flakes on top (optional)

Method:

Turn on your oven to 170C/335F to warm up

Line your baking tray with baking paper

Grab a large mixing bowl, and tip in the oats, flour, your 45g. of bits and bobs, the sugar and salt - and give it all a really good mix with your whisk or big wooden spoon

Melt the butter and syrup in a small saucepan, then whisk in the bi-carb with a fork or small whisk

Pour the wet stuff into the dry stuff, and give it a good mix

Don't forget to add the melted chocolate, and stir in well!

Now roll the mixture into 12 balls, and place them on the baking tray

Flatten them (gently) with a fork or just press them in the middle with your fingers; I was wearing food gloves for the rolling and the squishing

Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top of each if you wish, then

Bake them for about 12-15 minutes

Cool 'em on the tray for 5-10 minutes then on to a wire rack till completely cool

Store in an air-tight container for several days

Notes:

The original recipe does not use chocolate, but I figured chocolate makes everything better!  I suggest using milk chocolate rather than dark.  I made these on 2 separate occasions, once with dark chocolate, but they were better with the nutty, raisin-y milk chocolate

ingredients gathered

and one more thing!

stir your dry stuff together

melt the butter and syrup

stir in the bi-carb soda and watch it foam!

mix wet into dry

add the chocolate and stir in well

place on a lined tray and press down gently to flatten

Shaun the sheep(s) keeping an eye on the baked biscuits

nutty and crunchy and chocolatey

get ready to munch and crunch

c. Sherry M.

c. Sherry M.