mary berry's oat rounds

When we were in Scotland a few years ago, I found the cookies — or "biscuits" as they call them there — to be particularly inspiring in their plainness.

They were not gooey and packed full of chocolate chunks or exotic dried fruit.

They were crisp and buttery and just begging to be eaten with a good cup of strong black tea.

It was their very plainness that made them so desirable. A simple cookie is harder to get tired of. It becomes almost elemental, like good bread.

Upon our return to Canada, I set out to bake my way into these plain biscuits.

And here we are. A recipe from the ever-reliable and truly-lovely Mary Berry.

We have them on hand often. They keep well and are sturdy enough to pack on a road trip or hike. And, of course, they are perfect with a good cup of strong black tea in the late afternoon.

one year ago: oat-date slice
two years ago: overnight oats with raspberries
three years ago: scotland
(do you sense a theme?)

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mary berry's oat rounds
slightly adapted
bakes up 18 — 20 cookies

50 g. berry/caster sugar*
100 g. butter, at room temperature
100 g. quick-cooking oats
50 g. wheat flour
     or gluten-free:
     20 g. millet flour
     15 g. potato starch
     15 g. sweet rice flour
     1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celcius / 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the sugar and butter together in a big bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix the oats, flour(s) and salt together. Work into the creamed butter and sugar.

Knead lightly until smooth. Roll on a lightly-floured work surface until about 5 mm thick. Use a 6 cm round cutter to cut rounds and place on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, until starting to colour on the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

*If you don't have any berry or caster sugar, just grind plain white sugar in the food processor until it's finer.