This is a our own version of a recipe Ed’s grandmother got when she got her first gas oven in the 1950’s. The recipe was published in a booklet from the gas company. The cookies are very crisp with an intense buttery caramel taste. Perfect as a little treat with a cup of hot cocoa or earl grey tea.
You can conjure up all kinds of variations with this basic recipe. Dried fruits like cranberries, pieces of white chocolate or almond slivers. For some reason I like this plain version best.
Ingredients for the Oatmeal Cookies
makes 25
30 grams of wheat flour
70 grams of soft brown sugar
85 grams of oatmeal
1 small teaspoon of baking powder
a pinch of salt
75 grams of butter
Making the oatmeal cookies
Preheat the oven at 150ºC / 300ºF (I use the convection option to get the best result for me, normal or gas oven 160ºC / 320ºF). Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the butter and cut into little pieces using two knives. Knead into a ball with a cool hand. Make 25 small balls and lay them out on a buttered tray (or cover tray with baking paper or silicon sheet). Depending on how big your oven is, you should maybe do this in two batches, because otherwise there will not be enough space for the cookies to spread out. You can press lightly on the little balls.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Leave them to cool for a few minutes before transferring them onto a cooling rack. Delicious!
Tip: Use a 10 ml measuring spoon to scoop out the little balls.
Jim says
Interesting that there is no egg in the recipe. I wonder if it was a hold-over from the war, when they were hard to get?
Jim Lobell says
When I made these, they came out really small (~3cm across), and they didn’t flow at all: they were the same shape before and after baking. It’s a simple recipe, and I’m pretty sure I got it right…
Tasty, though!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Jim,
Thank you for your comment and for trying the recipe Jim. We think the difference could have something to do with the type of sugar we use. Our soft brown sugar could be different in composition from what you have used.
Glad it tasted good.
Jim says
I use a product called “Florida Crystals”. It calls itself “evaporated cane juice”. It’s a very light brown color. Perhaps I should use what is known in the US as “light brown sugar”. It has a soft, moist texture, unlike the sugar I usually use, which has a fairly hard, dry, crystalline texture, somewhat like that of our standard white sugar.
Jim says
I used standard brown sugar the second time, and they came out perfectly. Thanks for the suggestion.
Lilla says
I love this recipe, it’s so easy and so delicious. I add a banana and roasted coconuts to the mixture, can only recommend!
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Lilla,
Thanks for sharing your variation of the recipe. Sounds like a tropical treat!
Bakin' in Bermie says
Hello!
These look delicious and I’d like to give them a try. Could you just clarify what you mean by oatmeal, please? A package of uncooked oatmeal or simply 85 grams of old-fashioned oats? Thanks for your help!
Weekend Bakers says
Hi there,
I think the thing we use (it is hard because of the translation from Dutch) is the old-fashioned oats and then the quick version because the pieces we use to also make porridge are small (so the rolled oats that are cut up into smaller pieces) . See: wholegrainscouncil.org/whole…es-of-oats.
I hope this is clear and you can give it a try.
Happy (baking) Sunday!
Marieke
Pim says
Oh, I love oatmeal cookies! Thanks for this recipe, will try this soon!
Oh and btw, batches is not spelled badges (which are things you wear ;)).
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Pim,
Oops, yes you are right! I already corrected it, thank you very much for telling us. Let us know how the cookies turn out?
Greetings and a happy New Year!
Marieke
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Moahmmed,
I would use gas mark 3 or about 160ºC / 320ºF. I think you should try this recipe firstly without adding any spices and see how you like it. I like them best made plain, because adding cinnamon, although a very nice taste, would ‘distract’ to much from the lovely caramel taste. I also would suggest light brown sugar because it also adds to the balance of taste for these cookies.
Happy baking!
Marieke
moahmmed says
I’m using gas over what temprature shall I use? do you add any spices to these cookies like cinnamon for example? what kind of brown sugar you use, light or dark? thanks a lot
Marieke says
That’s exactly how it goes…..:-)
Nabil says
i just tried them, i panicked when i touch them in oven and still so soft, and then i gave up, and when it cools WOW