festive oaties

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by

Kate Davies Designs
in ,

In recent weeks I have become a bit obsessed with baking these biscuits (cookies), that make good use of Tom’s festive mincemeat. They are something in-between a flapjack and a hob-nob and taste just like mince pies. Who can argue with that? (Unless, of course, you don’t like mince pies. Or hob-nobs).

But if you do like those things, you will definitely enjoy these festive oaties. I have baked several batches, adjusting the recipe a little each time until it came out right. Two tips: watch how much mincemeat you put in: (too much and the dough will become too wet, resulting in an overly-spreading oatie). Also, they have a tendency to catch, so watch your oven timings carefully!

Here’s my recipe

Festive oaties

ingredients

100g  / 3½oz butter

50g /  1¾oz soft brown sugar

50g  1¾oz  self raising flour

100g / 3½oz  porridge oats (coarse)

3 level tablespoons of mincemeat

optional icing sugar for dusting

method

heat the oven to 180c (170c fan) 

line 2 small trays (or 1 large one) with baking parchment

cream together the butter and the sugar

add the flour, then add the oats and mix

add in the mincemeat and combine to a stiff dough

Divide the mixture into 12 rough balls and place well apart on baking tray

Pop in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes (checking after 12 minutes)

remove from oven and cool on wire rack

dust with icing sugar (if you like) and enjoy!

Have a good weekend!

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Comments

37 responses to “festive oaties”

  1. heatherinsf Avatar
    heatherinsf

    Late to the party but I made Tom’s mincemeat and cracked open a jar to make your Festive Oaties, and both the mincemeat and the biscuits are so wonderful! Since it’s now April I’m calling it Christmas in April and the biscuits with a cup of Brodies gave me such a lift. I love how the recipe makes the perfect amount of 12 cookies.

    Reply
  2. Shilpa Agrawal Avatar
    Shilpa Agrawal

    Baked perfect

    Reply
  3. awfulknitter Avatar
    awfulknitter

    Thanks for the recipe! I am always after ideas for the leftover mincemeat when I am bored of rolling out pastry.

    Reply
  4. Claudia Avatar
    Claudia

    Hi Kate,
    Today, I made these oaties and I love, love, love them! Accompanied by one or two Espressi, they are so good on a cold and rainy afternoon. Now I have to hide the rest of them in a place, where my husband does not think of, so we can have some for tomorrow. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipes (like your Carbeth star trail cake, which is one of my familiy´s favourite cakes ever). For the oaties I used my homemade mincemeat, but I will try Tom´s recipe soon.
    Have a wonderful Christmas time and stay healthy
    Claudia from Cologne/Germany

    Reply
  5. Ian "Mak" Makay Avatar
    Ian “Mak” Makay

    These look amazing and can’t remember the last time someone through “hob nob” into a food conversation!

    Reply
  6. Alexis Towle Avatar
    Alexis Towle

    These look good. Love a good oat cookie 😊

    Reply
  7. djcgold Avatar
    djcgold

    I loved eating oatmeal cookies, sweet and homey. Thanks for the great photo also.

    Reply
  8. Connie Avatar
    Connie


    Just baked a batch – easy to make, I threw a handful of sultanas in – delicious! Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
  9. Judith Th. Avatar
    Judith Th.

    I just tried these and they are delicious. As I can’t get minced meat here in Germany I used 3 tablespoons of freeze-dried red fruit, which worked really fine.

    Reply
  10. melshealthybowl Avatar
    melshealthybowl

    i need to try this, thank you for sharing

    Reply
  11. jilloy Avatar
    jilloy

    Thinking of making them without mincemeat (Yes LOL, I know, but trying to make them fructose-friendly and still enjoy the crunch). Would this idea work out?

    Reply
    1. Kate Davies Designs Avatar
      Kate Davies Designs

      perhaps try replacing the mincemeat with a tbsp of honey?

      Reply
  12. erin Avatar
    erin

    Looks terrific – I have been making the “Desmond’s mince pies” recipe for ca god five years and adore them but always seem to have a bit of mince left over! I’ll have to save this for next month when mince pie weekend rolls around :)

    Reply
  13. Elizabeth Avatar
    Elizabeth

    I would like clarification on the coarse porridge oats as well. Steel cut and rolled oats are two very different things. I’ve never heard of steel cut used in baking as they take too long to soften. I’m assuming what’s needed here is what we call in Canada “Large Flake” or Old fashioned oats, rather than quick or instant oats . And another yes to posting Tom’s mincemeat recipe please. 😊

    Reply
    1. Judith Th. Avatar
      Judith Th.

      I used coarse and fine oat flakes half and half. In Germany you do not regularly get porridge oats but this combination works really well.

      Reply
      1. Kate Davies Designs Avatar
        Kate Davies Designs

        Glad they worked out well for you!

        Reply
  14. commoneater Avatar
    commoneater

    Mincemeat cookies sound terrific.

    Reply
  15. Pauline McIntyre Avatar
    Pauline McIntyre

    Made these at crack of dawn this morning for when my son comes down from an early morning hike up Beinn an Lochain. If he’s not back soon there might not be any left! So good

    Reply
    1. Kate Davies Designs Avatar
      Kate Davies Designs

      ha ha – it’s a beautiful day to be out in the hills, Pauline! Enjoy!

      Reply
  16. catdownunder Avatar
    catdownunder

    Hmmm… I have one argument with this recipe…twelve will not be enough. There are six children in this street who will all want one in each hand! That means none for the adults…or me. Thank you. I will add this to my great-grandmother’s wholemeal shortbread recipe for Christmas cooking.
    For the fellow Downunderite asking about which oats to use I suggest you use “steel cut” or “rolled” oats but not “instant” oats. The rolled oats will probably be a little chewier but that seems likely to be fine in this particular recipe.

    Reply
  17. lizm Avatar
    lizm

    These look delicious! I’ll have no problem getting fruit mince, but could you please describe the oats in a little more detail? Here in Australia, what is sold for porridge is rolled oats (the whole grain, steamed and flattened). Rolled oats are essential for Anzac biscuits and I think would probably work here, but I’m not sure that they would be called porridge oats in Scotland.

    Reply
  18. Ann Avatar
    Ann

    Those look delicious! Will be testing the recipe!

    Reply
  19. Annette Avatar
    Annette

    Thank you for these – I enjoy your emails and love the photos but … I can only do very basic knitting. However I can make biscuits and will try these – thank you very much for including the imperial measurements as I do find looking them up a bit of a faff.

    Reply
  20. missfee Avatar
    missfee

    These sound delicious – I make a version of Anzac biscuits – probably a biscuit derived from Oaties – with chocolate chips which are delicious as well

    Reply
  21. Claudia Avatar
    Claudia

    I made your Beremeal loaf last year which has now become a favourite. I will definitely be trying these lovely bites. I too am a mincemeat fan and very particular. Would be interested to try Tom’s recipe if he’ll share it

    Reply
  22. Teresa Porteus Avatar
    Teresa Porteus

    These look very inviting – thanks for sharing Kate!

    Reply
  23. mespiceley Avatar
    mespiceley

    Looking forward to making these, and also pleased to discover Desmond’s mince pies in the Related section. Here’s another ricciarelli recipe that incorporates dried fruit (dates) – always very popular when I make them for Scottish Country dancing gatherings: https://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/recipes/recipe_directory/d/date-and-walnut-ricciarelli.html

    Reply
  24. Chris H Avatar
    Chris H

    They look really good, I shall be baking these for christmas – thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  25. sarahincromer Avatar
    sarahincromer

    Ooh please Tom share your mincemeat recipe with us I need to make some of these! I do think that a ‘cook with Kate and Tom’ book should be on the list of things you publish as I love your recipes and snippets of home cooking! Thank you for sharing a little weekend inspiration with us 💕

    Reply
  26. anastacia2 Avatar
    anastacia2

    I’m going to have to make these. Plenty of well matured homemade mincemeat in the larder.

    Reply
  27. Helen22 Avatar
    Helen22

    Just the thing now the weather has turned cold here in the Midlands. Ideal with a hot cup of tea/coffee/chocolate. I make my own mincemeat, it beats shop bought every time. I’m off to make some of your delicious sounding oaties now, it will tear me away from my knitting for a while – I can be a bit obsessive about it! Thankyou Kate.

    Reply
  28. Susan Anthony Avatar
    Susan Anthony

    But how do you make the mincemeat, please? Susan in the USA

    Reply
    1. Kate Davies Designs Avatar
      Kate Davies Designs

      I shall ask Tom to share his recipe. The homemade stuff is wonderful – but in the UK, there are also really nice jars of ready-made mincemeat available in most supermarkets.

      Reply
      1. Susan Anthony Avatar
        Susan Anthony

        Thank you! I look forward to learning his recipe. I do not know if we have mincemeat in a jar here in the U.S. But I am very particular when it comes to mincemeat….

        Reply
        1. Kate Davies Designs Avatar
          Kate Davies Designs

          ha ha – me too!

          Reply
  29. tracygreenwokgmailcom Avatar
    tracygreenwokgmailcom

    The Oaties sound delicious, but would Tom be willing to share his recipe for mincemeat to put in them? Thank you very much.

    Reply
    1. Evelyne Avatar
      Evelyne

      Longing for the list of ingredients for a good mincemeat…cause we don’t have that in France (sounds quite exotic) !
      Anyway, looks like a “tuerie”…

      Reply

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