On ANZAC day, I decided against making Anzacs in favour of a biscuit with rolled oats and fruit. I know I should have been making Anzacs but I do like a bit of fruit in my biscuits.
I made Merle’s (Merle Parrish, Merle’s Kitchen) Oatmeal Cookies which were all right but a little too cakey for my liking. The next day, I thought I would try again. This time I searched ‘rolled oats’ on Eat Your Books and came up with this recipe from the Australian Women’s Weekly Cookbook (1979 edition).
What caught my eye about the recipe was the inclusion of marmalade. I am always on the look out for recipes that use marmalade. Many years ago, I made some mandarin marmalade that only gets used in cooking. It is well past its ‘best by’ date and has gone all sugary. And it was never that great to start with, which is probably why it has lasted so long. So, if you have some marmalade in the cupboard that has been there a little too long, here is a great little recipe that will use it up and, as a bonus, provide you with some great tasting, rustic-looking biscuits.
Ingredients:
- 85g butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 egg
- 1½ cups plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ginger
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup marmalade
- 1¼ cups rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped raisins (I used sultanas; choc bits would also work.)
Directions:
- Line trays with baking paper and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Sift dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Add the marmalade and combine well.
- Stir in the sifted dry ingredients, then oats and raisins.
- Drop teaspoons of dough onto prepared trays.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until evenly browned.
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Unlikely I’d ever make these as I just can’t stand marmalade! Rolled oat and cornflake biscuits are always a winner I think. Thought of you yesterday when I was at the Warragul Farmers Market soap stall. No where near as pretty as your soaps! I bought a patchouli goats milk one which I’m going to cut into 6 and use for a drawer smelly. The hippy lives on! 🙂
Hi Maree, I love patchouli. I used to wear it all the time in the 70s & 80s. I think there is a hippy inside all of us. Definitely inside me, at least.
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Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been searching for it for ages as I had the recipe book that contained it and loaned it out to someone and never received the book back. It has been my favourite biscuit for nearly forty years!!!
Hi Lesley now you have inspired me. Your comment has brought these biscuits back into my thought. There is STILL marmalade in my cupboard. It is bloody hot here today so I am going to make a batch in the aircon.
I never would have thought to use marmalade like this, Glenda. Such a great idea! Thanks!
Hi John. I know! Fantastic. I will be through my current jar in a couple of years:(
Just the thing for my too large stash of marmalade and I agree with you, biscuits taste better with a little fruit.
Hi Anne. I am so glad I am not the only one with too much marmalade in the cupboard.
Like you, Glenda, I always seem to have things in the fridge which have lurked there for ages because I can’t bring myself to throw them out when I have put so much effort into making them. What a great idea for using up the marmalade!
Christine, before I had dogs, it was a real problem but now if a jar of relish or chutney has been open for a bit too long I put it in the dog food when I cook it up. Alas, marmalade would not go that well in dog food:)
Hi Glenda, love your blog but haven’t commented before. I leapt on this recipe for the same reason as you did – two jars of too-sweet orange marmalade in the cupboard! My favourite use for it at present is in baked apples
Core 6 Granny Smiths, and stuff with a mix of 2 tbsp orange marmalade and 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use almonds). Put apples in the slow cooker, pour 1/2 cup of white wine around them and a piece of orange peel. Spoon 6 tbsp marmalade over the top and sprinkle with 1 tbsp sugar. Cook on low for 2 – 3 hours. Put in a dish and pour the juices over the apples. Serve cold. You could easily adapt these for the oven.
But I also have a tray of your biscuits in the oven, so they may become my new favourites …
Jenny
Hi Jenny Thanks so much for the recipe. I am glad I am not the only one with mediocre marmalade in the cupboard:) Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I really appreciate it.
funny you should mention old marmalade, I’ve got a jar in the fridge and have been toying with the idea of using them with pork spare ribs. This is another great use! Thanks Glenda
Like I said, I am always on the lookout for ways to use marmalade. It seems to accumulate in my cupboard.
I’ve got a similar cookie scheduled to go up tomorrow! Great minds think alike! Gotta love the old AWW recipes! 🙂
Fantastic Celia, I will give it a burl. I am always on the lookout for good biscuit recipes with rolled oats in them. I have another which is a Bill Granger recipe. I will do a post on that one, one day!