Irresistible oatcakes

I have been eying this recipe for some time now. It a recipe for oatcakes, whatever those might be, from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day cookbook. Heidi's stunning photography and off the beaten path recipes captured my heart a long time ago when she started sharing her creations on her website 101cookbook.com. She has since published two cookbooks full of recipes that won't disappoint especially if you enjoy food that comes from the earth.

These oatcakes are a touch sweet and a little more than a touch salty. They are crunchy, oaty, slightly reminiscent of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies from my childhood and like Heidi says shaped like a hockey puck. This is not your average cupcake or muffin. You will just have to try out the recipe for yourself to see why they are so truly irresistible.

Oat Cakes
Ingredients:
• 3 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ¼ cup chia seeds or whole flax seeds
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• ¾ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ cup natural cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, beaten


Preparation:


1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter/spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, chia seeds and walnuts.
3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the butter, maple syrup, sugar and vanilla extract. Slowly melt together. Stir just until the butter melts and sugar has dissolved. Don’t let the mixture get too hot.
4. Pour butter mixture over the oat mixture. Stir a bit with a spatula, add the beaten eggs and stir again until everything comes together in a wet dough. Using a standard size ice cream scoop with a release lever, portion dough into the muffin cups, nearly filling them to the top.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges of each cake are deeply golden. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes before running a knife around the edges of the cakes. Tip them out of the muffin pan and onto a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm or at room temp.


Note: as they sit, stored in a sealed container, the cakes become more of a pull apart treat rather than biting into them like you would a cupcake. I free leftovers and reheat as needed.


Makes 16


Source: recipe slightly adapted from Super Natural Every Day

Nutrition per serving: 294 calories; 12 g fat; 4 g saturated fat; 40 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 7 g protein; 306 mg sodium