Cape Breton Oatmeal Cookies

Cape Breton Oat Cakes are something my mom used to make when we were kids.  Though these recipes came to our family via my mother's side (my maternal grandfather loved these and thus my grandmother often baked them), my father's family happens to be from Nova Scotia; thus, these cookies speak to both sides of my heritage.  So, I feel a sort of kinship to these very un-fancy but thoroughly satisfying cookie wonders.  They are just barely sweet, but have a satisfying, toothy thickness from the oats and a healthy amount of butter that lends them richness.  Think of them as sophisticated granola bars; energy dense and all natural, but better for you than most commercially made granola bars because they have far less sugar.

The original recipe hails from Scotland, but rolled over to Nova Scotia with the Scottish and so is part of the culinary history of both places.  Nova Scotia (code for "New Scotland" in Latin) was settled by the Scottish in the 1700's.  Cape Breton is considered the "most Scottish" part of Nova Scotia; it is said that the hills in Cape Breton smell of single malt whisky.  Road signs there read in both Gaelic and English, and Cape Breton has been home to the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts for just shy of 75 years.  With its Rocky Coast, you can see why the Scottish settlers must have felt that they never left home.

Cape Breton Oat Cakes actually call for shortening because of the firmness it lends them.  The traditional version is available here: Cape Breton Oat Cakes, in both sweet and savory renditions.  I decided to make these cookies with all butter instead of shortening (or shortening and butter, which some recipes use).  I had no shortening at home and thought that in any case, the butter would give them a richer flavor.  Not long into the mixing it became clear that the dough was too soft to cut into shortbread-like squares or circles, as oat cakes traditionally are.  That is how I ended up making a drop cookie version of these ancient gems.  They aren't quite oatmeal cookies (not as sweet, and they have a rich caramel flavor from all that brown sugar and butter) and not quite Cape Breton Oatcakes because they are soft, moist rounds rather than crisp, thick cracker-like entities.  Therefore, I'm naming them Cape Breton Oatmeal Cookies.    

And, drumroll, please.  Here is the recipe:

Cape Breton Oatmeal Cookies

Dry ingredients:

2 cups quick oats 

2 cups white flour

1 cup packed brown sugar (I used dark, but light would work fine)

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/2 cup cold water or milk

Preheat your oven to 350.

In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients until well combined.   

Cut melted butter into the flour mixture with your fingers until clumps are no longer visible and dough is even; pour cold water/milk and stir until uniform.  At this point, turn your oven on to 350.   

While the oven preheats, put the dough in the fridge to firm it up a bit.  

Once your oven is at temperature, use a large spoon to drop dough (about 2 TBS for each) onto an un-greased baking sheet.  I fit about 12 onto my sheet.  Bake the cookies in oven for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom.  While current batch of cookies is baking, make sure to place dough back in the fridge so it stays cold and firm.*  Using a spatula, remove from sheet to cool on a wire rack.  They are wonderful with coffee or tea, or simply alone.    

Note: These are not supposed to be crispy or chewy like oatcakes; they will be soft and moist, especially in the center.     

*This helps the cookies maintain their shape as they bake and rise well; otherwise they may spread and become thin and crispy once baked, which would be another cookie entirely.