These homemade herb and cheese oatcakes are a simple little nibble that’s perfect for snacking, cheese plates, or tea. They’re packed with whole grain oats, wholesome sharp cheese, a bit of butter, and lightly seasoned with thyme, sea salt, and cracked black pepper.
Course Appetizer, Baking Basics, Small Bites & Snacks
Cuisine British, Scottish
YIELD 3dozen
Ingredients
3 ½cupsrolled oats(divided- grind 1 ¾ cups)
4ozsharp white cheddar (or other hard melting cheese)about 1 cup, grated
¾tspsea salt(use 1 tsp for unsalted butter)
½tspthyme leaves
½tspfreshly ground black pepper
5tbspbutter (melted)2 ½ oz
¾cupboiling water
Instructions
Unless you have a source for oat flour, coarsely grind about half of your rolled oats until they’re broken up and floury. You can do this in a food processor, in small batches in a blender, or with a grain mill if you have one.
Grate your cheese and melt the butter, and bring a kettle to a boil with at least a cup of water.
In your food processor (or a mixing bowl or stand mixer with paddle attachment) combine the oat flour, rolled oats, salt, pepper, and herbs and pulse or stir a few times to mix.
Add the grated cheese and pulse two or three times or fold and mix lightly again.
Pour in the melted butter and pulse just until combined.
Add the boiling water (carefully) while mixing just until incorporated. The dough will be wet, sticky, and coarse, but will thicken and become easier to handle as it soaks up the water.
Let the dough rest, covered, for 3-5 minutes to absorb the water.
Preheat the oven to 350 ℉. Line two half sheet pans with silicone liners, parchment paper, or baking spray.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (use more oat flour for gluten free oatcakes, or whole wheat or regular flour if you prefer). A silicone mat works well but you can also use a clean countertop or dough board.
Pat the dough out into a rough rectangle, then roll it out. I like to make these thin and cracker-like, about 1/4″ thick, but you can make thicker oatcakes if you prefer.
Using a small round or shaped cookie cutter, cut out your oatcakes and transfer them to a baking sheet (spray the baking sheet or line it with a silicone mat). Use a thin spatula or bench scraper to lift and move the oatcakes if they are stuck to the surface and to keep from tearing them.
Bake the oatcakes about 30-35 minutes until the cheese is lightly browning and they are beginning to toast around the edges. They will crisp up more as they cool. The actual baking time will vary with the size and thickness that you made your cakes (smaller or thinner shapes will bake faster, larger or thicker cakes will take longer to bake through).