If there’s one traditional treat enjoyed at bonfire night here in the UK it has to be Parkin! A square of soft, sticky and chewy gingerbread/cake made with oats (or oatmeal), spice and molasses/treacle it’s perfect for munching on while watching the bonfire or fireworks, ideally with a hot cup of tea in your other hand (or hot choc!)…read more about Parkin here.
There are actually a few Parkin recipes from around the UK including a Lancashire Parkin but they aren’t quite comparable with the mighty Yorkshire recipe, often because of omitting the oats which adds that depth and chew factor or using golden syrup instead of treacle. It’s a recipe thought to originate during the Industrial Revolution when oats and treacle were an important part of the diet and we love it for the slow burning oaty power plus all those lovely warming spices!
You can find our Foodini take on Parkin which includes pears in the mix in our autumn Seasonal Club packs this year (2022), but if you fancy an alternative try these Parkies – a mixture of cookie and cake with added sparks of apple in the mix…
Ingredients
- 110g butter or vegan butter
- 50g soft brown sugar
- 50g maple syrup
- 50g golden syrup
- 3 tbsp molasses (or black treacle)
- 1 egg or flax egg
- 140g self raising flour or gf self raising flour
- 50g medium oatmeal
- 60g rolled porridge oats
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 2.5 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 0.25 tsp nutmeg
- 0.5 tsp mixed spice
- optional: 0.5 tsp ground cardamom
- Pinch of salt
- 1 eating apple – cox work really well
Method
- Melt together butter, sugar, molasses and syrups until just combined but not bubbling. Set aside for 5mins to cool down
- Mix together in a bowl all the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, oats & oatmeal, spice and salt
- Peel the apple and chop out the core. Cut into tiny cubes (approx 0.5cm/side)
- Beat the egg in a small bowl and add to the cooled wet mix, stirring in until it becomes smooth and shiny
- Add the wet mix to the bowl of dry mix and stir together until just combined. Mix in the apple. It should be quite loose
- Pop in the fridge and leave for at least 30mins, if not longer (can leave overnight)
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) and dollop approx 1-2tbsp of mix onto a lined baking tray. Flatten to about 0.5cm high and make into a rough rounded shape. Leave space between the cookies as they will spread while baking – you can cook approx 6 on the average baking tray
- Bake for 12-15mins, checking the edges don’t burn
- Remove from oven and use a spatula to remove from tray and slide onto a cooling rack. Leave to cool
- Enjoy same day when they have slightly crisp edges or else store in a sealed container and let the flavours grow. They will become softer with a sticky surface but the treacle will combine with the spices and the flavour will develop over 3 days!
Happy munching (and bonfire night!) 🎆🔥
x Laura
