ScratchCraft

Another week (can you believe it?), another shot at oat-filled goodness.

These pack a much higher nutrition content and are lower in fat (read: no butter). Recipe is as follows:

Stir together:
1 cup oat flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chestnut flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom

Add and mix until the consistency of cornmeal:
1/4 cup canola oil

In separate small bowl, mix together and let sit for 5 minutes:
1/4 cup currants
1/3 cup finely chopped dates
1/2 cup plain kefir

Add all together and gently mix into a dense, but somewhat sticky dough. Shape into 3″ disks (about 1/2″ thick), and bake at preheated 375º oven for 20 minutes. Makes 8-10.

OK, you’re probably thinking that this is not a recipe for biscuits, but nice-smelling hockey pucks. I will admit they have a bit of a tooth, and they start to blur the lines between cookie and biscuit (I’m calling them cookuits). But did you see that list of ingredients? No refined sugar, plenty of oats, extra good-for-you additions, not to mention the chestnut flour gives these a rich, nutty taste.

And besides, who eats cookuits without something to drink. Tea? Or, like I did this afternoon…

…a tall, refreshing glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice.

To your health!

We’ve been trying to include more oats into our daily diet. Sometimes, especially during the week, there isn’t quite enough time to have a bowl of oatmeal (don’t talk to me about that instant crap) for breakfast. So, I’ve started to do some testing in the kitchen for other suitable, but quicker delivery methods. A friend armed me with several recipes she had come across (thank you, again), including one for a drop biscuit. So, I’m starting this testing period with a modified drop biscuit.

The results were, to say the least, quite tasty. A cup of tea, a dab of jam, and we were ready to settle in for the night.

Recipe for Oatmeal Currant Drop Biscuit

Preheat oven to 475º

In separate small bowl, soak with 4 Tbsp boiling water:
2 Tbsp chopped dates
1/3 cup currants (or more, if you want)

Add to above ingredients (after soaking for a few minutes):
2/3 cup unsweetened kefir
1 cup rolled oats

Mix together and let sit while you prepare the following:

Sift together:
1 cup whole wheat flout
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Combine above dry ingredients with 1 stick butter (chilled and cubed) until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add wet ingredients and gently mix until a wet sticky dough forms (don’t over mix!). Drop by tablespoon on to buttered baking sheet (I actually just grease the spot I’m dropping the biscuit) and pat/form into puck-shaped disk. Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes. Makes about 12-15 biscuits.

Try to save some for breakfast the next day :).