Oatcakes are crisp like a shortbread cookie or cracker, lightly sweetened, just a smidge salty, and make quite a hearty snack. This recipe is adapted from an old fashioned recipe book from Sherbrooke Village, a nineteenth century mining and lumber community in Nova Scotia that has been restored and is now a museum.
INGREDIENTS
• 2 Cups Oatmeal (not quick oats)
• 1 Cup Flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil or Butter (I used 4/5C butter, 1/5 C olive oil – that’s about 10% Olive oil)
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Boiling Water
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water (add a little more water if needed).
3. Combine dry ingredients with butter, then add dissolved baking soda.
4. Mold into a dough ball, then press it out onto a baking sheet. You can roll it out with a dough
pin to make it thin as you want it to be about 1/4 inch thick. (Just as easy to flatten it out with the palm of your hand, then shape it square).
5. Cover and chill for 10-15 minutes to firm up the dough, then remove and score down the middle
and across to make 8-10 squares (you’ll use these lines for clean cuts after it’s done baking).
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes until they are golden brown. They should be crisp and crunchy, not
chewy.
7. Separate the cakes along the score lines with a thin knife and then allow them to cool.
8. Enjoy with your favorite coffee or tea or add them to your day pack for some quick energy
during a hike or a long road trip.
Some comments about the original recipe – ( from https://thetravelbite.com) …
“We made these this morning. The dough was quite dry. Difficult to make a dough ball. Eventually we got them cooked and out of the oven. I was skeptical my hubbie may not like them. But he loves oatmeal and his eyebrows popped up when he tasted them. Also they were a little bland and maybe some finally chopped almonds would be good added or maybe some vanilla. We didn’t score or cut just broke them up and ate them. Actually very good.”
“I tried this recipe using vegetable oil. It turned out awesome!! It was still chewy and I did bake for 15 minutes. I decided to let it sit inside oven for good 20 min(after turning it off). The crispy, crunchy oatcakes made my day!!”
“These are great. Used oat flour instead of wheat(granddaughter cant do wheat). Used the oil instead of butter and they turned out great. Thanks for the recipe.”
“Made these oatcakes several times, but used coconut oil instead of butter and my family loved them even more. They don’t last a day in my house.”