Oat biscuits

Just over a week ago, a friend had her baby four weeks early, which threw everyone around her into a bit of a spin: nobody was prepared for such an early arrival. For my first official visit to see the baby at home, I rushed out and bought a present, dragged a loaf of banana bread out of the freezer, and made these simple oat biscuits to take as an offering.

There’s not too much you can say about these biscuits: they’re not the ultimate double choc-chip cookie; or ‘must-make’ Christmas biscuit… and they definitely aren’t going to change your life. But, they’re wholesome and plain, which makes them an ideal snack for a mother nursing a newborn. They have oats, a bit of wholemeal flour and, after a disrupted night’s sleep with a newborn, I imagine they’d make a pretty decent breakfast with a nice cup of tea to dunk them in. I made a double batch of these to take over to my friend’s house. They keep well in a tin for up to five days but, in a house full of older siblings and visitors, somehow I don’t think they’ll last that long.

Oat biscuits

Adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

• 1 egg
• 120 grams (4½ oz.) light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 80 grams (2¾ oz.) butter, cut into pieces and softened
• 50 grams (1¾ oz.) plain flour
• 50 grams (1¾ oz.) wholemeal flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 100 grams (3½ oz.) quick cooking oats
• 1 tablespoon milk

1. Preheat oven 180°C (350°F).
2. Whip egg, sugar and vanilla until sugar dissolves and then beat in softened butter until combined.
3. Add sifted flour, salt, baking powder and stir through oats and milk.
4. The dough is quite sticky – place in the fridge for half an hour to make it easier to handle, or wet hands and form into walnut size balls.
5. Place on lined  baking trays,  flatten down the balls to make patties and bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges (they will still be a little soft on top).
6. Cool on a wire rack and store in a biscuit tin for up to five days.

Makes around 25 biscuits