Oatie Cookies with about a million varieties (ish)

When it comes to biscuits, these oat based cookies really deliver! My mum originally discovered these in an American cook book that we bought way back in 1993 when we were in California. Just one of the 365 great cookie and brownie recipes the book promised, these are have become a firm favourite amongst family and friends alike. The base for these is really versatile and lots of things can be added or substituted to make sure that these suit your own taste. The basis I have used for this recipe is dark choc chip, with a slight hint of coffee, however if you scan down you’ll see some of my suggestions for what could be used instead. And the other good thing about these is that that can ready in less than half an hour to provide a great companion to that morning coffee you crave!

These are the coconut and white choc, with a few chilli and ginger I made for work. 

Ingredients (to make between 24 and 28, 2-3 inch cookies):

4 oz of butter, softened

2 oz granulated sugar

2 oz dark brown sugar

1 egg

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of coffee liqueur or 1 tablespoon of instant coffee (cold)

3 oz flour

6 oz rolled oats

½ baking soda

½ teaspoon of salt

6 oz of choc chips.

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 C if using a fan oven like me, or 180 C if using a conventional oven.

Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix well. Add the egg and continue to stir thoroughly. Following this, add the vanilla and coffee.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until it forms quite a thick cookie dough of a dropping consistency.

Drop the dough onto a greased cookie sheet 2-3 inches apart (I usually reckon 8-9 cookies per tray) and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Variations:

Now this is where these cookies come into their own! To strip this back to the bare bones, follow the recipe up to where you add the choc chips and coffee. Instead of this, why not try:

Removing a handful of oats and adding a handful of desiccated coconut and 6 ounces of white choc chips and mixing in to the cookie dough?

Adding a teaspoon of ground ginger and ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon (perfect for a festive variation!) Or maybe omit the cinnamon and add a good pinch of ground chilli for a warm afterglow.

Otherwise try my mum’s favourite: cinnamon and raisin. Or why not try white choc chunks and dried cranberries?

My most recent creation was with dark choc chips with a couple of teaspoons of grated orange zest and a tablespoon of orange liqueur.

And here they are! Choc and orange awesomeness!

The list is endless! Let me know what you try!

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (for Sophia)

As you have probably gathered with my previous blogs, I associate the dishes that I make with certain people. This cake is one that I discovered a couple of weeks ago courtesy of the voluptuous Nigella so it probably should come with a warning about how sickeningly delicious it is. Anyway, enough of Nigella, this cake is one that I made with my especially awesome friend Sophia in mind. Like Alev, Sophia doesn’t eat wheat, but this comes with the added bonus (complication?!) of the fact that she also doesn’t eat any dairy either. Yes bakers, I know what you are thinking- worst nightmare and all that! But fear not, help is at hand in the form of this really quite surprising Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, which is a future staple of the City Kitchen. Sophia, this one is for you...

Ingredients:

150 ml olive oil (or any good quality vegetable oil)

50 grams of cocoa powder

125 ml boiling water

2tsp vanilla extract

150 grams of ground almonds

½ teaspoon of bicarb

Pinch of salt

200 grams of caster sugar

3 large eggs

Method:

Preheat your oven to 150 degrees (if using a fan oven like me, 170 otherwise) and grease a 9 inch spring form cake tin (or standard sponge tin works just as well)

Pour the boiling water into a heat proof bowl and sift the cocoa powder into this and whist vigorously. Add the vanilla and set aside to cool.

In another bowl, combine the almonds, bicarb and salt. Meanwhile beat the eggs, oil and sugar until you have a light yellow, creamy batter.

Following this, slowly pour in the cocoa mixture and continue mixing, then slowly add the almond combination to this as well.

Pour this into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Country Boy says:

This cake should still look a bit moist when it is finished, and it does have a bit of a funky texture even when cool. When removing from the oven, slide a sharp knife into the centre and it should come out clean.

Serving suggestions:

This cake is so versatile you can either serve it warm with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt or crème fraiche, or cold with a cup of tea. I also found that this cake was at its best 24 hours after cooking as its had time to settle properly, so try and resist the temptation for that long, but if not, enjoy it when it’s warm and seductive.

I’ve also debated changing this up a bit with the addition of some crystallised ginger, finely chopped, when you mix in the three main ingredients. Have a go and let me know what you think. 

Wheat Free Chocolate Fondant (for Alev)

I found this absolute gem of a recipe for my friend Alev when she came over for her birthday recently as she can’t eat wheat. I can hear that collective groan released when you realise that this awesome looking fondant is wheat free as yes, we all know that this means that it will probably have a texture somewhere between cement and sand paper. However, this is a real moist treat that knocks the socks off standard fondants. I think this is probably down to the condensed milk which is added to the recipe which keeps it moist and decadent. Now I will say that this photo is a second attempt at the first batch of these turned out a little bit like chocolate soup (which I was told tasted awesome nonetheless) but you do need to be strict with your oven timer when you make this one.

Ingredients:

55 grams butter

85 grams caster sugar

170 gram tube of condensed milk

4 large eggs

Pinch of salt

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp of coffee powder, dissolved in 1 tbsp of hot water

350 grams of dark chocolate (approx 50% cocoa solids)

85 grams of wheat free flour (I use Doves Farm, but you can equally make this with the same quantity of plain flour)

4 greased pudding tins (I grease in a downwards direction, then dust with cocoa and chill)

Variations:

This recipe can also be delicious with a couple of small additions. For a slightly boozier, more grown-up taste, a shot of Tia Maria can be substituted for the coffee, or perhaps jazz it up with the grated zest of an orange and a squeeze of fresh orange juice. Let me know what you think!

Method:

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until smooth. Add the condensed milk.

Whisk in the eggs one at a time then add vanilla and coffee.

Add the melted chocolate and the flour and whisk until the mixture forms a smooth, loose batter.

Spoon into the pudding moulds and chill. Place into a pre heated oven (150 fan assisted, 200 conventional) and cook for 12 minutes (the pudding should have formed a slight dome that wobbles slightly when touched. Some cracks might appear, but don’t worry!) If it needs longer, check it every minute until it has reached this stage.

The joy about this pudding is it’s sauce is hidden in the centre, but if you do want to indulge a little more, this is delicious served a spoonful of clotted cream.

Country Boy says:

When turning these out, run a knife around the top edge of the pudding only to loosen the pudding. Turn these over and cover with a tea towel and give it a good tap to ensure it has popped out neatly. Sometimes a tap can be a little less than required, so don’t be afraid of being quite firm. If it is sticking, ease it out gently with a thin knife.

Rocky Road (for Amy)

Rocky Road is a firm favourite in the City Kitchen, and what’s great about this is that it doesn't involve any oven time and is so simple anyone could make it! I spent a long time pondering what would be the first recipe on this new blog, but eventually arrived at Rocky Road after a conversation with my friend Amy (aka ‘Bridge’). Amy is someone who has been in the Country Boy Kitchen many times over the years and knows my cooking style as well as anyone. She suggested Rocky Road to premier on my blog after I sent her this rather delicious picture of my creation. So after the ‘rocky road’ of the last year, here it is, recipe 1: Rocky Road.

Ingredients:

100 grams of butter or margarine

250 grams of chocolate (I used dark choc, 50% cocoa, but it works just as well with milk choc)

200 grams of rich tea biscuits (digestives work just as well, but they will be slightly more crumbly once set)

Roughly half a bag of Pink and White Marshmallows

Method:

In a large saucepan melt the butter and the chocolate, stirring until they have formed a thick liquid.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool for approximately 10 minutes. Once cooled crumble the rich tea biscuits into the chocolate mixture and stir in. After this, roughly chop the marshmallows (scissors will do fine) and add to the mixture, stirring until everything is covered with the chocolate.

Line a rectangular tin with baking paper and roughly dollop the mixture in, making sure that it reaches the edges. Don’t try and flatten this down; leave it looking rough and textured.

Leave on the side until completely cool, then chill in the fridge to set (this usually takes a couple of hours to make sure it’s fully hardened.)

Cut into squares and enjoy!

Variations:

Now, if like me, you like raisins or sultanas, you can create a slightly chewier version by adding a handful of these when you are mixing in the ingredients.

For a more grown up palette, add half a teaspoon of chilli flakes (yup, you heard right) which will undercut the sweetness and add a warm after-taste. This variation is great for after dinner treat or a snack served with an espresso. If you do add the chilli, I would recommend cutting into smaller squares, rather than the more conventional bar shape.