Chocolate Cranberry Oat Cookies

Oat flour is a whole grain flour made from oats. The texture is silky and it's naturally gluten free, has a mild nutty flavour and is full of nutrition; offering more protein and fibre than regular flour; giving an extra nutritional boost to whatever recipe you choose to include it in. These cookies were substantial and I found even though they may be deliciously moreish, one was often enough.     

Chocolate Cranberry Oat Cookies

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makes approximately 24 cookies

1 1/4 cups (170g) oat flour

1 1/4 cups (125g) large flake rolled oats

1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup (170g) white sugar

1 teaspoon (4g) ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon (3g) baking soda

1/2 teaspoon (3g) Kosher salt

1 large egg

2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract

1/2 cup (45g) chopped cranberries 

1/2 cup (60g) semi sweet chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper.

In a bowl combine the oat flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, chopped  cranberries and chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, place the butter and sugar and beat with a hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. 

Once the butter and sugar mixture are smooth, add in the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing continuously until the cookie dough forms.

Portion the dough into golf ball sized balls and place them onto the prepared baking tray. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until desired doneness.

Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Peanut Butter Oat Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

These cookies are packed with plenty of delicious ingredients and are satisfying in both sweetness and flavour. A delightful afternoon cookie worthy of such a long name!   

Peanut Butter Oat Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies with Pumpkin Seeds

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1 1/4 cups peanut butter

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup caster sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup large flaked oats

3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, optional

1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl beat the peanut butter and butter with a mixer until creamy.

Add sugars and mix well. Blend in the eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl mix the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds. Add to the peanut butter mixture until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough, 1 inch apart, onto baking tray. 

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or just until the centres are set. Allow to cool for 3 minutes on baking tray then remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

Notes: you can use crunchy peanut butter, if you wish. Chocolate chips may be either mini or regular, just adjust the amounts.  

Hope everyone had a lovely long weekend. We had a bit of snow over the weekend however nothing that we aren't already used to. - JD 

Buttermilk Oat Bread

Small but substantial. This oaten loaf is wonderful with butter and jam or cheese.  

Buttermilk Oat Bread

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makes 2 small loaves

1 cup fine oatmeal

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, soak the oatmeal in the buttermilk and milk overnight. 

The following day...

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the oatmeal and milk mixture and mix well to give a soft dough. Knead until smooth.

Divide the dough into two portions. On a floured surface, roll each portion out to a thickness of about 1 inch and about 4 inches in diameter. Place both loaves on the prepared baking sheet, side by side about 3 inches apart, and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until golden and sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven and serve hot with butter and jam. 

Notes: I brushed the tops of each loaf with a bit of butter then sprinkled flaked oats on top.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Some warmer temperatures are coming our way. 
- JD 

Spiced Pinto Bean, Oat, and Apple Muffins

Forging ahead with my bean baking... remember those chocolate bean brownies I made? I made these delicious morsels... Spiced pinto bean, oat, and apple muffins. They are quite tasty and you would not know that they are mostly made of beans. The texture is delicate and fluffy. Surprisingly, there is no flour in these muffins.  

The recipe came from this cookbook, Bean Cuisine by Genevieve Taylor. This is a great book. It is lovely to have a cookbook that offers alternative, for a lack of better terms, meal options. Not that one could not figure out a few substitutions on ones own however the recipes are easy. The photography mouthwatering. At 143 pages this puts beans first on the dinner, lunch and dessert tables. 

The introduction deals with the benefits of beans, varieties of beans, type of beans for cooking, cooking dried beans and bean storage. The 5 chapters offer Easy everyday beans, Bean feasts, Beans to go, Snacks and dips and Sweet beans (desserts). I want to try the Cappuccino navy bean cheesecake, Coconut rice and peas, Spicy roasted chickpea "chips", Jamaican red bean, spiced chicken and sweet potato casserole, and Mujaddara with halloumi. Those recipes can truly make one very hungry! 

Spiced pinto bean, oat and apple muffins

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1 x 14 oz (400g) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

3 large eggs

1/2 stick plus 3 tablespoons (3 1/2oz/100g) butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz/100g) dark brown sugar

3 small apples (about 3/4 lb/350g), peeled, cored and grated 

2 2/3 cups (9oz/250g) ground almonds

2 teaspoons ground mixed spice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup (3 1/2oz/100g) raisins

1/3 cup (2oz/60g) oats, plus a few extra for sprinkling on top

Clear honey to drizzle

Method

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Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC/gas mark 4). Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.

Add the beans to a food processor finely. Add the eggs, butter, and sugar and blend together until smooth and creamy.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the grated apple, almonds, spices, and baking powder and beat until well combined. 

Fold through the raisins and oats, and spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Sprinkle a few extra oats on top of each muffin and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until springy to the touch. Before serving, drizzle a little honey on top of the muffins. 

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The comforting aroma of warm apple filled the kitchen. I managed to taste them fresh out of the oven and they melted in your mouth however I would suggest to let them cool a bit that way they won't be so crumbly. Enjoy! - JW