Just like any other Nova Scotian, I love a freshly baked oatcake and a cup of tea to accompany it. A few months back, I wanted to make my own, but didn’t want to resort to Pinterest for a recipe. So of course, I called my Mom! Mom always has the answer. She showed up to my house with this little cookbook she got forever ago from Sydney titled “Cape Breton Sweets”. Was I ever thankful! I had an authentic Caper recipe in my hands. But it was a little vague as I read it… Listed in the ingredients was “Cold water”. How much? Who knows! I still don’t entirely know, I know it’s about a cup or so. And I know two cups is way too much haha! I used too much before and had to add in more flour and oats. Also, I changed the sugar amounts and added a little hint of cinnamon because I love cinnamon. Even the directions were a bit vague, for someone who isn’t experienced in baking. Anyways, these are very simple to make, it makes a large batch so if you want you can easily just cut everything in half (but really they’ll be eaten up so fast you won’t want to). So get out your mixing bowl and put the kettle on!
*If you want a bit more of a visual there is a reel of me making these on my Instagram page.
August 2/21:
Today we made half a batch, and added in the following for Spiced Oatcakes ;
- 1/8 tsp. Allspice
- 1/8 tsp. Cloves
- 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. Ginger
- 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
Oatcakes
- Prep Time : 15 minutes
- Bake Time : 15 minutes
- Yields : 2 dozen
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 3 cups oats
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cup lard or shortening
- Cold water – about 1 cup.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- In a large bowl combine flour, oats, sugars, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in the lard/shortening until fine crumbs form.
- Add in cold water until a soft dough forms. Sprinkle a little at a time and toss with fork. If you add too much and it’s sticky add in some extra oats.
- Using oats to cover your work surface, roll out dough thinly, about 1 cm.
- Cut into square or rectangle shapes and place on baking sheet. You can place them very close together.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until light brown around edges.
UPDATE! (April 22/21) – Take half a cup of chopped chocolate and melt in the microwave, add half a teaspoon of chai spice and mix in. Drizzle over cooled oatcakes.
For the Chai spice blend:
- 1 1/2Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Cloves
- 1/4 Tsp Ground Allspice
lifeiswhatyoubakeit.ca 