Bready or Not: Honey Oat Pie with a Cinnamon Pie Crust
This is a pie like none I have made before: like a gigantic chewy oatmeal cookie with a spiced crust, embodied with a refreshing zing of whiskey.
This Honey Oat Pie in a Cinnamon Pie Crust will blow your mind in the best of ways. Texture wise, it is moist and chewy without being soggy (be sure to use old-fashioned/rolled oats!).
Flavor-wise, you taste the toasted oats, a wonderful mix of warm spices, and the freshness of the whiskey. There’s only a tablespoon and a half in there but the flavor of the whiskey still comes through.
I used Jameson Irish Whiskey, in keeping with the origins of the original version of the recipe: the July/August issue of Bake from Scratch Magazine, my favorite food magazine these days.
I imagine you can omit the whiskey from the recipe without it being detrimental to the taste or texture, but I haven’t tried that myself.
This is a great pie to have for breakfast (the alcohol’s effect burns off in baking), or snack, or dessert.
Bready or Not: Cinnamon Pie Crust
Equipment
- food processor
- pie plate
- plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, cold, cut into chunks
- 3 Tablespoons ice water plus more if needed
Instructions
- In a large food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the butter pieces. Pulse until they are almond-sized, then add the ice water. Pulse until mixture can form a ball, adding a touch more water if needed to make it cohesive.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead to shape into a disk. Tightly encase in plastic wrap and let chill in fridge for at least an hour, or up to a few days. Dough can also be frozen for up to two months.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Honey Oat Pie
Equipment
- pie plate
- parchment paper
- pie weights
Ingredients
- single-layer pie crust
- 1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats also called rolled oats
- 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Irish whiskey such as Jameson
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 400-degrees
Prepare pie crust
- Let pie dough soften at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. Lightly flour a surface and roll out dough to a 12-inch circle and transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate. Press into plate to shape, crimping edges as desired. Freeze crust until firm, about 15 minutes.
- Drape a large piece of parchment paper over pie crust. Fill to the top with pie weights.
- Bake crust until edges are turning golden, about 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove weights and parchment paper.
- Bake crust an additional 10 minutes to set. Cover the edges with foil if it is getting brown too quickly. Set aside on rack to cool while the filling is assembled.
Prepare filling
- Reduce oven temperature to 350-degrees.
- Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Place oats in pan.
- Bake them until they are lightly toasted, about 10 minutes, giving them a stir or two during. Set them aside to cool.
- Lower oven temperature again, this time to 325-degrees. Move the oven rack to the lower third of the oven.
- In a big bowl, mix together the brown sugar, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the corn syrup, melted butter, honey, whiskey and vanilla, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition, and end by incorporating the oats until they are coated. Pour everything into the parbaked crust.
- Bake until the filling is set and slightly puffed, about 40 minutes. Check on the pie about halfway and cover the edges the foil if they are getting too brown. The done pie will register at 200-degrees if checked with an instant thermometer.
- Let pie cool completely on rack before slicing in. Store covered by foil in the fridge or at room temperature. Keeps for several days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate Chip Shortbread with Cocoa Nibs
A classic shortbread gets deeper coffee flavors in this new take featuring cocoa nibs.
Cocoa nibs are strong stuff. You don’t need a lot to add some oomph. Here, two tablespoons is enough to do the trick.
Use whatever chocolate chips you have around for this recipe. Going dark will be a closer match for the nibs. Therefore, I prefer semisweet or milk chocolate, or a combination thereof.
The resulting shortbread is firm enough to hold up when it is cut into finger-sized pieces, but it is wonderfully soft and chewy to eat.
Eat this for a snack or dessert, or do the proper UK thing and serve it with some hot tea!
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate Chip Shortbread with Cocoa Nibs
Equipment
- 9×9 pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa nibs
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a big bowl, beat butter, vanilla, and salt until it is smooth and creamy. Slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar followed by the flour. Fold in the chocolate chips and cocoa nibs.
- Dump dough into the prepared pan. Lightly flour hands and pat dough flat and smooth. Score through the dough with a floured knife to make rectangular wedges, then prick surface all over with a floured fork.
- Bake for 30 to 33 minutes, until shortbread is set and the edges are browned. Let set in pan for 20 minutes, then use the foil to lift contents onto a rack to completely cool. Move them to a cutting board and slice into pieces along original score marks.
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Cheese and Chives Yorkshire Puddings (Small Batch)
Yorkshire puddings are what many Americans also know of as popovers–light, airy, crisp sponges perfect to eat with a roast and gravy!
This recipe is for a small batch of puds. Since they are so airy (if they rise right), the six puddings of this recipe are perfect for two or three people.
Cheese makes everything better, of course. I used Dubliner Irish Cheddar, as it is available at my nearest Costcos for a good price.
Use a good quality cheddar here to really take these puddings to the next level.
Modified from Bake from Scratch Magazine.
Bready or Not: Cheese and Chives Yorkshire Puddings (Small Batch)
Equipment
- metal muffin pan
- blender
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk or half & half
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted, divided
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup quality cheddar cheese (25 grams), freshly grated
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh chives chopped, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 425-degrees.
- In the container of a blender, place milk, eggs, 1 tablespoon melted butter, flour, and salt; process just until smooth. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, toss together grated cheese and chives.
- Place a 12-cup muffin pan in oven for 5 minutes to preheat.
- Remove muffin pan from oven, and quickly spoon the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter into the 6 muffin cups that are being used. Return pan to oven for 2 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven. Working fast, spoon or pour batter into buttered muffin cups, dividing as evenly as possible. Top each with a spoonful of cheese mixture.
- Bake until puffed and golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Garnish with more chives, if desired. Serve immediately. Yorkshires are best fresh as they deflate after baking.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: English Toffee
English Toffee is a classic, timeless candy for a reason: IT IS DELICIOUS. With this recipe, you’ll have a whole bunch of candy made in as fast as 15 minutes!
Make this to feed a crowd or to assemble for gifts. The recipe makes a lot, and trust me, you don’t want to be home alone with this temptation.
There is nothing healthy about this candy. It is pure indulgence. It’s also a cheap indulgence–you’d pay a lot of money at the store to get this much candy of quality!
And homemade is always better, right?
Bready or Not Original: English Toffee
Equipment
- 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan
- candy thermometer
- uneven spatula
Ingredients
- nonstick spray
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 1 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cups almonds slivered or sliced, divided
- 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips use medium-sized chips, not gigantic gourmet ones
- Maldon sea salt or other fancy salt for top, optional
Instructions
- Apply a generous amount of nonstick spray to a 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan. Measure out the almonds and the chocolate and set them aside in separate dishes.
- In a large saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar, water, and salt, and continue to stir it as the sugar cooks and dissolves. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce temperature to simmer. Continue to stir frequently for the next 5 to 6 minutes as the mix darkens to the color of a brown paper bag; on a candy thermometer, it should be 300-degrees.
- Remove pan from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup of the almonds (meaning there is still 1/2 cup reserved for later). Pour the toffee onto the prepared pan. Use a greased uneven spatula or tilt the pan to carefully spread the candy into an even layer.
- Immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the top. Let them sit for a minute or two to soften, then use an uneven spatula to spread the chocolate across the toffee. Promptly sprinkle the remaining almonds over the top. Add Maldon or other fancy flaky salt, if desired.
- Cool to room temperature, then chill for a while to completely set. Use hands to break toffee into pieces. Some nuts and chocolate will fall off, but it’s all good.
- Store between layers of waxed paper in sealed containers. Keeps for at least 2 weeks.
*OM NOM NOM!*
Bready or Not Original: Golden Syrup Snack Cake
Golden Syrup Snack Cake! This delicious, sticky, sweet-but-not-too-sweet cake delivers a taste of the UK wherever you may live.
I see golden syrup all the time in British recipes. I debated trying those recipes, but wondered if I could finagle some kind of American equivalent to golden syrup. Nope.
Accept no substitutes. Golden syrup is kinda between honey and maple syrup, but has its own unique kind of sweetness. The good news is, if you’re in America, it can be found on the shelf in grocery stores. I live in the boonies on the far western fringe of Phoenix, and I can even find it here… though it is kind of expensive.
The grocery gods did smile upon me, though. I scored TWO bottles of Lyle’s Golden Syrup for half off in the clearance area. I actually squealed out loud.
This cake has a soft, tender crumb that is gently sweet throughout. The glaze of extra syrup brushed on top adds a perfect finish. This is the perfect treat to serve up for a binge-watch of British telly!
Recipe heavily modified and converted in measurement from a recipe found at the BBC.
Bready or Not Original: Golden Syrup Snack Cake
Equipment
- 8x8 or 9x9 pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cube
- 1/2 cup turbinado or other raw sugar
- 3/4 cup golden syrup such as Lyle's, but not the squeeze bottle version
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup milk or half & half
Glaze
- 2 Tablespoons golden syrup
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat butter, golden syrup, and turbinado sugar until melted and combined. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line an 8x8 or 9x9-square cake pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Mix with the contents of the large pot.
- Into this pot, add the baking powder, ground ginger, and salt, followed by the flour. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 40 to 50 mins, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Measure the golden syrup for glazing into a bowl and brush it atop the warm cake.
- Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing. Store covered by foil or sliced up in a sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: British Flapjacks
Time for flapjacks–British-style flapjacks, which are like American granola bars! This recipe, modified from British baking goddess Mary Berry, is super-easy and delicious.
In advance of my big trip to the UK last June, I wanted to make numerous British, Scottish, and French goodies so I could then find the legit thing over there to see if I did it right.
I ended up eating a lot of different flapjacks. Not only are they common to find at bakery counters everywhere, but in grocery stores I found a lot of what Americans call energy bars are labeled as flapjacks instead.
This particular flapjack is more like a bakery-style flapjack: like a toffee-rich granola bar. A drizzle of chocolate, I found, added some necessary contrast and balance.
My husband took these to work. A Scottish-born co-worker gave one a try and actually asked, “Is this a flapjack?” I cheered and danced when I heard that. I did it! I made a recognizable flapjack!
I found the original version of this recipe in Mary Berry’s cookbook Baking with Mary Berry. Unlike most (or maybe all) of her other cookbooks, this one is in American measurements, though it still features loads of British goods. Click on the picture below to find it on Amazon.
I modified another recipe from this book, too. Find my take on British-style Gingerbread here!
Bready or Not: British Flapjacks
Equipment
- 8x12x1-inch pan (small jelly roll pan)
Ingredients
Flapjacks
- 9 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stick plus 1 Tablespoon
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 1/2 cups rolled old-fashioned oats
Chocolate Drizzle
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon shortening
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line pan with aluminum foil and apply grease or nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, gently heat the butter, corn syrup, and sugar until everything is melted together with the sugar dissolved. Stir in oats to completely coat.
- Scoop everything into the prepared pan. Use an uneven spatula to spread out evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes. Leaving contents in pan, slice into thin rectangular bars. Let completely cool.
- Use foil to lift contents onto cutting board. Slice again to separate.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat up chocolate chips with shortening, cooking in 20 second bursts and stirring well between each time, until chocolate smoothly stirs together. Use a fork to drizzle over flapjacks.
- Store in sealed container at room temperature.