I really enjoy having friends over for tea. I have a wooden tray, complete with a paper doily, that I keep at the ready on top of the microwave. It holds my favorite teapot, two saucers and teacups, cream and sugar, and a small plate from cookies. I often use my violet patterned tea cups and saucers. Sometimes I include a violet patterned teapot and matching creamer and sugar bowl, and a violet patterned cookie plate, for a full violet tea...just for fun.
Yesterday a friend, who is a hard working teacher with a long commute, and I were finally able to find a time to do tea together here. We're neighbors, too, so it seems absurd that it took so long, but she is also the busy Mom of two busy teens and her property has extensive gardens that need care.
The funny thing was that we didn't actually set the time until about two hours before we were having tea. I realized that I had nothing to serve with the tea, so quickly set about baking a quick cookie from Maida Heatter's original cookie book.
The appeal of the Oatmeal Cookie Bars was that they only had a few ingredients, that one of them was melted butter so no time needed to soften butter, and that they went together in a saucepan. I embellished them a bit with an extra 1/4 cup flour to help them hold together, plus some dried cranberries for color and flavor and chew.
These are pretty crumbly cookies, even with the flour. They are chewy and buttery and delicious, but fairly plain. Perfect with a humble tea, but not fancy enough for a fancy tea. Quick, easy, simple ingredients that you probably have on hand...what's not to like?
One tip...line your pan with foil and butter that. Another...pack the mixture firmly into the pan before baking. Another...let them cool until barely tepid before taking out of the pan and cutting...and use a sharp long knife.
Aspen Oatmeal Bars
adapted from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies
1/4 pound (1 stick/8 oz.) butter
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking (not 'instant') oatmeal
1/3 to 1/2 cup moist dried cranberries
Adjust a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan, or line with foil and butter. Set aside.
Place the butter and sugar in a medium-size saucepan. Stir over moderate heat until melted.
Remove the pan from the heat. Mix together the baking powder, flour and salt. Through a fine strainer add this mixture to the melted butter mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in the oats. It will be a thick mixture. Stir in the dried cranberries until well distributed.
Turn the dough into the prepared pan. Use a flexible spatula to press the dough into a smooth, compact layer.
Bake for 25 minutes. The cake will still be soft but it will harden as it cools. Do not bake any longer.
While the cake is still warm, cut around the sides with a blunt knife (like a butter knife) to release the sides, but then let the cake finish cooling in the pan. Use the foil to remove the cooled cake to a cutting board.
With a sharp knife cut the cake into quarters (I used a serrated long bread knife). Cut each quarter into bars or squares.
Any remaining cookies should be stored in an airtight container.
No comments :
Post a Comment