- Makes approximately 18 biscuits - 45 min -
Usually these oaty 'Mearley Biscuits' are eaten without decoration (they are an old family recipe), but they do make a perfect base for Wookie Cookies (inspired by the Wookie Cookie post on alotofshortcuts.com, which featured on an excellent Star Wars activities list compiled by northeastfamilyfun.co.uk) May the 4th ("May the Force") is the perfect Star-Wars-appreciation day on which to enjoy them.
Gather together…
100g butter (plus spare to grease the 2 large oven trays).
45g golden syrup (from a metal tin, not from a squeezy bottle – it does seem to make a difference!)
100g porridge oats.
100g sugar (white caster sugar or white granulated sugar - either is fine).
100g plain flour.
1 tsp bi-carbonate of soda (use a small, level metal traditional teaspoon). SIEVE it in to avoid fizzy lumps!
Decorate with (enough for 18 - 20 cookies)...
40g of milk chocolate - 'cooking chocolate' melts far more easily than regular chocolate and is much less likely to shock and split. Sainsbury's own-brand cooking chocolate is sold in foil and card (so is plastic-free), Green & Black's cooking chocolate is plastic-free AND palm oil-free, but is too pricey for me to use regularly.
15g of dark chocolate ('cooking chocolate' works best).
15g of white chocolate ('cooking-chocolate' works best).
Get cooking…
1. Preheat the oven 180 C (160 C fan) or Gas 4.
2. Grease 2 large oven trays, using a 1/2 tsp of butter for each, OR use the brilliant Eco Living silicone liners (which don't require butter as well).
3. Very GENTLY dissolve the 100g of butter and the 45g of golden syrup in a MEDIUM/LARGE pan on the hob (as you will add the dry ingredients to the pan shortly, once removed from the heat).
4. Into a medium bowl, measure the 100g of porridge oats, the 100g of white sugar and the 100g of plain flour.
5. Sieve the 1 small tsp of bi-carb into the bowl (sieving avoids any unpleasant clumps). Stir the dry ingredients together.
6. Once the butter and syrup have melted, remove the pan from the heat. Allow the pan to cool for a couple of minutes if children are helping, so they don’t burn themselves on the hot metal.
7. Tip the dry ingredients into the pan, on top of the melted ingredients.
8. Mix everything together thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
9. Place a 'small walnut' sized spoonful of mixture into your palm, roll into a ball and place onto the prepared trays - see image (i) below. Place the balls of mixture well apart (at least 6cm away from the next) - they spread a lot!
10. Flatten each biscuit very well, with your fingers and then with a fish slice - see image (ii) above. Small children enthusiastically squashing the biscuits down really flat is actually helpful at this point.
11. Bake for 8 mins until the biscuits are golden brown, then flatten them down again with a fish slice - image (iii) above.
12. Bake for 1 – 2 minutes more and then remove them from the oven as they are baked. At this point I'd flatten them again with the fish slice.
13. Then remove carefully with the fish slice and place them on a wire rack to cool and to crisp up.
14. Meanwhile melt the chocolate ready for decorating, either over boiling water in a bain maries or for a few seconds in the microwave. You'll need 40g of milk chocolate, 10g of dark chocolate and 10g of white chocolate. I always use 'cooking chocolate' as it melts more easily and is less likely to 'shock' and split.
15. Once the biscuits are cool, decorate each Wookie Cookies first with the 40g of milk chocolate (bandeliers), then the 10g of dark chocolate (eyes, noses and mouths) and finally the 10g of white chocolate (bullets). Apply the chocolate using the tapered handle-end of a tea spoon.
16. Once the biscuits are fully cool and dry, place them in an airtight container and eat them up within 3 days.
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