It’s been a relaxed, blissful weekend down here in Texas. After spending last weekend on the road, it felt especially satisfying to just “be” this weekend: sleeping in (that’s about 7:15, when Nick pops out of his bed and into ours), an extra pot of coffee, a sunny soccer game, and making a mud castle (made possible by the torrential Saturday night thunder storm) in the back yard.
The coffee wore off by mid-afternoon today, but Nick was still going strong; to keep up, I made a pot of tea and a batch of oat cakes.
If you are familiar with Walker’s Highland Oat Cakes, than these are virtually identical, which thrills me–as I know it will my sister, mother, and father–because we all four love our afternoon tea accompanied by a plate of jam-slathered oat cakes. Moreover, Walker’s oat cakes are hard to find in stores–so cravings must be coordinated with mail-order shipments.
The dough is simple: oats, which you coarsely grind in a food processor, honey, melted butter, leavening and some hot water. You probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry right now. The dough is very easy to work with, too. I like to place of piece of plastic wrap (wax paper works well, too) on top of the dough before rolling; it makes it very easy to roll the dough to an even thickness without it tearing. Once rolled, carefully lift the plastic wrap away from the dough to avoid tearing.
I used a 2.5-inch biscuit cutter to cut out the circles, but not a worry if you do not have one. Look around your kitchen for anything with a similar-size round shape, such as upturned wine glasses. An emptied 15-ounce can is just the right size, too.
If you have never tried traditional oat cakes, a mild caution: oat cakes are not sweet like cookies, nor crisp like crackers. So what are they, and why on earth would you want to eat them? The answer is that they are the perfect vehicles for jams, honeys, cheeses, butter, Nutella, or any other schmear that comes to mind. Two topped “cakes,’ especially in the company of two cups of tea, is just what every weary and/or famished soul needs to power through the afternoon. Sold? I hope so. Enjoy the last few hours of the weekend!
Scottish Oat Cakes (like Walkers Highland Oatcakes)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 28 mins
- Total Time: 38 mins
- Yield: About 2 dozen 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats (certified gluten-free as needed)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (or virgin coconut oil for vegan option)
- 2 tablespoons honey (use maple syrup or brown rice syrup for vegan option)
- 1/2 cup hot (not boiling) water, divided
- oat flour for rolling (simply grind more oats)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a food processor, process the oats until coarsely ground. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the baking powder, and salt.
- Stir the melted butter and honey into oat mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until just blended. Stir in half of the hot water; add more hot water as needed to form a cohesive dough.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a 1/4-inch-thickness.
- Using a 2-1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut dough into circles, then transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with dough scraps.
- Bake in preheated oven for 23 to 28 minutes until golden and set at edges. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to the rack. Serve warm or let cool completely.
- Category: cracker, biscuit
to echo everyone else THANK YOU for posting this recipe…my only question, how long will they keep for?
Hi Gabrielle,
Wonderful, so glad you like the oat cakes, they are sill a favorite of mine, too. They should keep in an airtight tin for up to two weeks (tins will keep them crisper than, say, a Tupperware container) or freeze for up to 6 months.
Thanks so much for such a great recipe. I just made a batch and oh, my goodness, the delicious and very missed oatcakes of my time in Scotland – there it was. I may or may not have eaten six.
We are sympatico, Heather! These are still a favorite recipe for me, too–so glad they are bringing back great memories of time in Scotland (sigh… :))
As written, it states to use 1/4 unsalted butter…is that 1/4 CUP unsalted butter? Thanks for your help.
Aack, yes, 1/4 cup–thanks for catching that, Jerilyn, I will go and correct the error right now. Much appreciated! 🙂
I make my own oatcakes at least once a week on a girdle (Scottish circle of cast iron with a handle). We don’t put sweet things on them, we eat them for nreakfast or to serve with cheese. In Scotland we make scones for jam!
I’ve never bought readymade oatcakes or scones! Your oatcakes look great.
I’ve searched for Walker’s Oat cakes for years since tasting them in the 80s.
THANK YOU for this delightful recipes. They taste just like I remember.
Taditional Oatcakes are very hard to find in Germany. So i tried your oatcake receipt, today. and they taste fantastic, problably i will give them a trie without honey, too. Thank you very much and best regards!
Great, Gavin! I know, they are ridiculously expensive at import stores.
My Father went to England fro Charles and Diana’s wedding, and brought me back a couple of tins of Walker’s Irish Oakcakes. I had never tasted anything so wonderful in the world. While many would wonder why I would eat “sawdust,” to me they were perfect, and I would eat them only on very special occasions. I could find them in the States for a short while, and then like all really good things they were suddenly gone. Thank-you so much for bringing them back into my life! I can’t wait to make them, made a cup of tea, and watch Midsomer Murders. Anglophile in Ann Arbor
we are sympatico, Cynthia, right down to the Midsomer Murders 🙂
Do I really need to add the honey? I’m not that fond of sweets and would just as soon leave it out, unless doing so ruins the texture or recipe outcome generally. I’m so glad I searched for this. Walker ‘ s brand is priced in Tucson like it’s made out of gold! I’d rather try to make my own, thank you. I eagerly await a reply.
HI Mary,
Yes, you can probably leave it out so long as you replace i with a bit of milk to make up for the liquid 🙂
Just found this today and have been having a wicked craving for Walkers, which are very difficult to find in central Kentucky. Thank you for posting this recipe!
you are so welcome, Jennifer!
do you need to add any liquid ?
Hi Sonia,
There are three liquid items in the recipe: the melted butter, honey, and hot water 🙂
Forgive me, dear brother! I was not sure if you like oat cakes or not (I know you love tea and sweet biscuits, but I did not want to wrongly assume…) Love you! Camilla
Hey! What about me? I never need an excuse for tea and biscuits. These look great, Camilla! I’ll definitely have to try them.
Dear Dreaming,
Thanks for commenting! I hope you give them a try 🙂
These sound great. Thank you!
Looks delicious! I will have to try this instead of my rice cakes. Thanks for sharing!