Oatmeal cookie from Ireland
What did the Irish eat before the potato crossed the Atlantic ocean? Oats! It is one of the few grains that can survive the wet Irish climate with its short growing season. For centuries oats were the main source of starch on the Irish menu. This oatmeal cookie is made with rolled oats. Oat kernels are tough and the husk is inedible. Making the soft rolled oats for baking or porridge is heavy work. The kernels have to be de-husked, cut, steamed and rolled. As the Irish celebrate St Patrick’s Day on the 17th of March, I made this crunchy oatmeal cookie from Ireland in the shape of the symbol of St. Patrick: the shamrock. If you like this cookie try my variation with beer and currants: a Guinness cookie.
Oatmeal cookie from Ireland
ingredients
200 grams softened unsalted butter
125 grams sugar
1 egg
300 grams rolled oats
150 grams flour
pinch of salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
butter and sugar
Beat the butter with the sugar until light and creamy with an electric mixer.
add the egg
Beat in the egg.
and the rest of the ingredients
Add the rolled oats, the flour, the salt and the baking powder.
bring together into a ball
Bring together into a ball. Add a splash of water if the dough is too crumbly. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about 30 mins.
cut out the cookies
Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Roll out the dough to about ¼ inch (½ cm) and cut out cookies with a cookie cutter.
Place them on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper. Bake them in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes.
Take out of the oven and leave to cool on the cookie sheet.
This post is also available in: Dutch
