Leftover Shortcrust Pastry & Oat Cookies

Many a time has a small ball of leftover pastry slowly hardened in the corner of our fridge. I’ll look at it and think, ‘What on earth is this misshapen yellow blob? Ooh, is it CHEESE?! No? {How disappointing} Then what can it be?’

Once I’ve worked out that it is in fact some remnants of shortcrust, I’ve also worked out that it is far too old and tough to be used for anything. Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this...?

But fear not! For I have a lovely little recipe for your clippings book which is simple, easy to remember, and only requires five ingredients.

The result is a batch of scrumptious oat biscuits, with a lovely rich texture, and perfect for dunking in a cup of tea.

I’m not normally a fan of plain biscuits {give me something covered in chocolate ANYDAY} but even my sweet tooth is satisfied by these little cookies.

I stumbled across the recipe on The Guardian’s website while searching for a way to use up the pastry leftover from my Valentine’s Day cooking. I’ve made one teeny tiny adjustment, but otherwise it’s an excellent go-to method.

Ingredients - Makes ~12-14 cookies

150g leftover shortcrust pastry, room temperature
150g porridge oats
75g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
75g caster sugar
Brown sugar, for dusting

Equipment
Mixing bowl
Food processor
Rolling pin
Biscuit cutter
Baking tray
Baking paper
Wire rack

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/356ºF/gas mark 4. Add the pastry, oats, butter and sugar together, and knead the mixture in a food processor until all ingredients are combined.

2. Roll the dough out onto a surface until it’s ~1cm thick {or however thick you’d like your biscuits!} then cut into rounds, gathering the scraps together until it is all used. I found the mixture quite sticky, but don’t panic if the same happens to you - the biscuits will have a lovely texture! Just try not to handle the dough too much.

3. Line a baking tray with baking paper, and space the biscuits apart evenly. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top to give them a sweet, crispy finish. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

4. Scoff the lot in one sitting.

Hope you enjoy with a cuppa!

{P.S. - Like the teatowel in the top image? You can buy one here!}