Soothing Honey Lemon & Ginger Oat Cookies

I have had two of my final year exams this week and so have been feeling a little frazzled. I didn’t think I was feeling that nervous about them but I dreamt that our tutors asked us to go in a day early for a talk and they sprung the exam on us and I was screaming ‘no, I’m not ready!’ and then while doing the exam (still in my dream) I dreamt I was feeling stressed so decided to light a cigarette to calm my nerves and ended up setting my paper on fire! – I don’t even smoke – never have and never will, so I think my brain was just trying to torment me with nasty scenarios. Thankfully my exams have gone ok so far. As always seems to happen the topic I knew well and hoped would turn up as a question didn’t, but there have been no disasters yet - *knocks on table.*

So how does this fit into cookies? Well I had the urge to do some weekend baking and remembered how honey and lemon is always so soothing when you have a cold so decided to incorporate it into a cookie to see if it would sooth my nerves. I decided to adapt my favourite oat cookie recipe and added some glace and ground ginger for an extra enhancing boost.

The cookies turned out really well. They were lovely and fat with a golden crackly surface and a soft and tender inside. The lemon and ginger really shone through and complemented each other well and the honey was delicately lingering in the background. I love how plump and substantial they are, a really comforting cooking – I’m feeling better already.

Soothing Honey Lemon & Ginger Oat Cookies
Ingredients

150g butter

100g light soft brown sugar

50g/ 1½ tbsp clear honey

1 egg

170g rolled porridge oats

160g plain flour

¾ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp ground ginger
25g glace ginger

Method

Preheat oven to 190C and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

Cream the butter together with the sugar and honey until light and fluffy.

Grate in the lemon zest and finely chop the glace ginger and add to the bowl along with the vanilla, ground ginger, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Beat well until combined.

Add the oats and flour and beat together until all incorporated.

Use a tablespoon to scoop mounds of the dough into your hands and roll them into a ball. Flatten then slightly using the palm of your hand and place on the baking tray. Leave a 2 inch/5cm gap between each one to allow for spreading.

Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes until they are golden brown in colour.

Cool on sheet for only 1 minute before transferring to a rack with the help of a palette knife. Do not prod them as they will stay soft until cool.
Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.Makes 12-14 cookies