These vegan sweet ginger oatcakes are the simplest of oatcakes turned into crunchy little biscuits with a bit of brown sugar and crystallised ginger.
They are gluten-free and, compared with most biscuits, low in sugar and fat. They also contain ground flaxseed – an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids.
The recipe is for a ginger version, but chocolate chips work well, as do currants and mixed spice (these suggestions may have been inspired just a teensy bit by Nairn’s delicious oat biscuits…).
As long as you have a grinder or processor that is up to the task of grinding oatmeal, the recipe is not much different from making flapjacks. I’ve included a picture of the ground oatmeal because it’s important to the texture of the finished biscuit and difficult to describe.
The ordinary oatmeal is on the left, and the ground oatmeal on the right. It needs to appear floury but still be granular to the touch.
For a soft, oatcake-style crunch, take them out of the oven as soon as they are beginning to turn golden at the edges. The longer they bake, the crunchier they become.
The quantities below will produce around thirty oatcakes of 5 cm in diameter. They keep very well in an airtight tin.
vegan sweet ginger oatcakes
Ingredients
- 325 g oatmeal
- 1 tbsp ground golden flaxseed
- 50 g light muscovado sugar
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 45 ml golden syrup
- 60 g coconut oil
- 2-3 tbsp finely chopped crystallised ginger
Method
- Set the oven to 180°C/360°F and line enough baking sheets for thirty 5cm biscuits (they will spread minimally if at all).
- Grind the oatmeal using a food-processor or grinder until it looks very floury but still feels granular to the touch.
- Reserve about four tablespoons of the ground oatmeal. Place the rest in a large bowl with the ground flaxseed, sugar and bicarbonate of soda and stir thoroughly.
- Melt the coconut oil and golden syrup until the oil is completely liquid and pour these into the oat mixture, followed by the chopped ginger.
- Mix with a fork or spoon until it comes together into a firm ball of dough. It should be somewhat crumbly but if it is too crumbly to hold together at all you may need another teaspoon of syrup.
- Sprinkle a wooden board with some of the reserved oatmeal and roll the dough to a thickness of around 3mm. You will probably need all the reserved oatmeal to stop it from sticking to the board and rolling pin.
- The mixture is likely to crumble at the edges as you roll it out. Just press it back together and keep going.
- Cut rounds and place these on the baking sheets. Bake for 7-10 minutes depending on your oven and the position of your shelves. As soon as they are starting to look golden at the edges, remove them and allow them to cool completely.
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