KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — A relationship is like blending two of your favourite foods and creating something brand new… and better.
Imagine grilled corn slathered with a pat of salted butter, slowly melting over every juicy kernel. Or rich cheese paired with light, runny honey.
The Italians add bright green extra virgin olive oil to scoops of vanilla ice-cream, the fruity tones of the former making the later taste even more decadent. Fresh strawberries benefit from the sharp tang of balsamic vinegar.
The possibilities are endless, as with the various pairings that make up different relationships.
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In our household, one of us is an ardent fan of all things peanut: from peanut butter to peanut candy. The other has an old-school fascination with steel-cut oats, the arguably least popular form of breakfast gruel.
And never the twain shall meet, you say?
Hardly. One could easily spoon a dollop or two of peanut butter on a bowl of cooked steel-cut oats, for instance.
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But perhaps that is too basic.
For a little more pizazz, try this recipe for roasted peanut and steel-cut oat cookies that brings both elements together in a harmonious, delectable union.
Call it a match made in (baking) heaven. Or simply call it delicious. (Which it most certainly is!)
ROASTED PEANUT & STEEL-CUT OAT COOKIES
What are steel-cut oats? Also known as pinhead oats or Irish oats, these are the least processed of all types of oats
After the whole grains of oats have had their inedible hulls removed, those that are then chopped by steel blades into merely two to three pinhead-sized pieces are what are considered proper steel-cut oats.
Steel-cut oats have a toothsome, chewy texture and nutty flavour.
No further processing is allowed (such as steaming and rolling into flat flakes for easier cooking to create rolled oats). As such steel-cut oats retain a toothsome, chewy texture and nutty flavour.
This goes surprisingly well with the natural earthy notes of peanuts. The roasting brings out these flavour notes more clearly, which is why we roast the peanuts before pounding them into coarse powder.
The key word here is coarse as we still want some visible chunks of peanuts; this adds a chunkier texture to the cookies.
Roasting peanuts brings out their earthy flavour notes.
In order to achieve this, use a pestle and mortar to pound the roasted peanuts rather than a food processor (which might result in too fine a peanut powder).
The humidity of one’s kitchen might play a role here, especially given the use of brown sugar for a more caramelised flavour.
If you find the cookie dough to be too moist, you can always place the tray of scooped cookie dough into the fridge for 20 minutes or longer to help firm it up a little before baking.
Use a pestle and mortar to pound the roasted peanuts.
Ingredients
- 150g butter, softened
- 200g brown sugar
- 100g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 300g all-purpose flour
- 200g steel-cut oats
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 150g peanuts, roasted and ground
- 150g chocolate chips
Method
Cream butter, brown sugar and sugar in a mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
Next add the eggs and vanilla extract. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the mixer bowl as needed.
Scoop and portion the cookie dough.
Put the mixer on low speed before adding flour, steel-cut oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Blend for about 45 seconds and no longer to prevent overmixing.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the ground roasted peanuts and chocolate chips. Portion dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Each scoop should be about 1 tablespoon of dough and placed about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate for about 2 hours.
The beautiful crumb, from a blend of steel-cut oats and roasted peanuts.
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centre is still soft.
Remove from the oven and cool on a baking tray for about 1 hour before eating or storing in an airtight container. Each cookie should have a beautiful crumb, from the blend of steel-cut oats and roasted peanuts.
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