I’m in love with this wartime cookie recipe. These oaty, sweet, buttery, wartime biscuits really make you appreciate a 15 minute break with a hot cuppa tea in some old vintage china.
This recipe is super simple and quick.
Ingredients
4 oz (115 g) margarine or butter. (I used half and half as butter really adds that extra flavour)
3 oz (85 g) of sugar (I use unrefined caster sugar)
7 oz (200 g) of rolled oats
5 oz (150 g) self-raising flour or plain flour sifted with 1 teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt
1 reconstitued dried egg or fresh egg (I didn’t use an egg at all and it was fine)
A little milk
Method
* Pre-heat the oven to 180C (350F) or Gas Mark 4.
* Grease two baking trays well or use parchment/baking paper instead.
* Cream the margarine/butter with the sugar until soft and light.
* Add the rolled oats and mix.
* Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and add the egg (if used) into the * mixture and mix well again before adding in a little milk to moisten. The dough should be stiff and quite dry but sticks together. Knead together.
* Divide out mixture into about 20 lumps the size of a walnut.
* Press between palms to flatten to about 1/4 inch thick and place on baking tray and press into shape.
* Bake for about 15 minutes until edges are golden.
* Leave on baking trays to cool.
Makes about 20.
EXTRA TIP: I divided the dough into half. The first half I left plain. The second half I sprinkled on some sultanas and some lemon extract and kneaded in. The lemon/fruit/oat biscuits were absolutely delicious!
Sounds like a “plan” to me! BUT I’ll toss in a fewalted peanuts IF ya don’t mind! 😉
CarolAnnSpeight
casClean
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ooooooops! “few salted” peanuts!
CarolAnnSpeight
casClean
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oooo yes, I bet a few nuts would be lovely!! xxx
These look amazing, thanks!
My first thought was they seemed similar to ANZAC biscuits minus the coconut. ANZACs do have the golden syrup though which would change the flavour. The addition of the sultanas and lemon would be lovely.
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup thread coconut
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
125 g butter
2 Tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp boiling water
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a baking tray or line with baking paper.
Combine the oats, coconut, flour, and sugar together in a large bowl.
Melt the butter and golden syrup together. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water and add to the butter mixture. Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together.
Roll teaspoons into balls and place on the tray, allowing room for them to spread.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, cooking one tray at a time.
I find it interesting you add the oats before the flour. Mom’s recipe calls for the flour blend to be added after you add the egg to the creamed butter-n-sugar. Then you add the oats, raisins, nuts and flaked coconut. She also flattened her cookies with a dampened flat bottomed glass.
Made these early this morning – smell delicious – awaiting to taste them now…
Julie
Dear Carolyn, just gonna ‘Have a Go”, at making these! X
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Hi Carolyn, these biscuits sound really delicious, I’m going to try making them gluten free – I’ll let you know how I get on 😊
They are delicious, was very surprised!! Let me know how you get on making gluten free ones! xxx
What a simple, honest and tasty cookie! Thank you so much for your blog and for these recipes. It is somehow comforting in these times to think about a 1940s woman who made oaty biscuits for her family.
They are surprisingly tasty aren’t they! I love it when I find a recipe from WW2 kitchen, try it out and find out it’s delicious!!! xxxx
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Some sultanas in these would go well. My husband was wanting some chewy oat biscuits. I’m too frightened to try some of the other recipes, especially the “mock” genre!
This was very good. I added dried cranberries to them and they where very good. I am so glad I found this blog. I love learning about WWII on the home front in England. I also have the book you talked about, and I also have another “Mend and Make Due” 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
I’ve been following your blog for years. I just had to tell you that I made these oaty biscuits these evening and they were wonderful! They were a hit with my husband too (he prefers plain and I prefer the fruity so dividing the mixture worked out well!) is it a Marguerite Patten recipe?
Diolch yn fawr!
This recipe has been added to our favourite ones and it’s been done countless times. Our favourite version includes crushed peanuts. We absolutely love it. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
If you do not have corn syrup then maple syrup works well. Depending on the thickness of the syrup you may need 3 tablespoons.
I love this recipe and my son who is autistic and a very picky eater loves these. Thank you
Just made these with my son as part of his WW2 homework. Thank you for the recipe. We snuck in some chocolate chips 🙈 I’m sure his class will love them.
Amazing recipe , right?