I am calling these ‘Leaving Cert’ cookies! In our house at the moment it feels like we are all doing the dreaded Leaving Cert (once was enough!). The skills, time, support and patience required are not to be under estimated. We have now experienced two types of student – I don’t know which is worse! Mr ‘Laid Back’ who starts at 0% and works upwards towards getting a bare pass in all subjects – anything more is seen as unnecessary and a waste of energy! Then we have Miss Anxiety who is the opposite – works non-stop, starts at 100% and stresses about not knowing everything on the course in an effort not to lose marks. This is the one we are going through at the moment – counselling, chats, hugs, cups of tea, coffee, treats, the list goes on, all part and parcel of being a parent of a Leaving Cert student nowadays.
This is where these delicious cookies come in – they are the perfect treat for stressed, exhausted parents as much as students. I came across the recipe in a tiny booklet attached to a packet of (Flahavans) porridge that I bought recently. I was just about to throw the booklet in the bin when I spotted it. A short list of common ingredients that only involved some whizzing, rolling and cutting caught my interest, surely I could manage that! Try them yourself, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Ingredients
275g (10oz) Porridge Oats
100g (4oz) plain flour
100g (4oz) castor sugar
225g (8oz) butter, softened.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4
- Blend the oats in a food processor until they are quite fine
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend again until the dough comes together
- Roll out the dough on a floured work surface to a thickness of about 5mm (¼ inch)
- Cut into shapes with a biscuit cutter and place on a baking tray (no need to grease or line)
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until pale golden and slightly firm
- Remove from the oven and carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Keep in an airtight container (they also freeze well).
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