Barbara’s Nutties

posted in: Cooking, home | 3
Barbara
Barbara

My Mum, Barbara, loved to bake. She would fill tins with biscuits and cake, ready for the hordes of hungry grandchildren. She made lamingtons in some special secret way, so that no store-bought one ever measured up. My sister wouldn’t pick us up when we visited her, unless there were firm assurances that there was a large stash of lamingtons in the luggage. 3 dozen was the usual fee!

Cooking treats like this though, is part of the old-fashioned way of life that is second nature to many of us. I love knowing that my family aren’t eating a whole lot of preservatives or colours, and the flavour is always better than bought.

I have no idea where this recipe came from, it’s just always been Nutties to us. They resemble Anzac Biscuits, but again, traditional Anzacs don’t hold a candle to Barbara’s Nutties. I have been making them in 3 and 4 dozen batches on Sunday mornings to get us through an entire week. They are rather more-ish, and go great with a cup of coffee to ward off the afternoon hungry patch. You’ve been warned!

The recipe is super simple! These quantities make about 24 – 28 depending on how small you spoon them out. I normally make a 1 1/2 batch.

Nutties - the ingredients.
Nutties – the ingredients.
Combine all dry ingredients EXCEPT the Bi-Carb Soda in a large bowl.
Combine all dry ingredients EXCEPT the Bi-Carb Soda in a large bowl.
Melt Butter and Syrup in a medium sized saucepan.
Melt Butter and Syrup in a medium-sized saucepan.
To the melted Butter & Syrup, add the Bi-Carb Soda and watch it foam up!
To the melted Butter & Syrup, add the Bi-Carb Soda and watch it foam up!
Mix dry ingredients, melted Butter mixture and the beaten eggs until holding together and evenly moist.
Mix dry ingredients, melted Butter mixture and the beaten eggs until holding together and evenly moist.
Try not to eat them all at once!
Try not to eat them all at once!
  • 2 1/2 cups Rolled Oats
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 1 cup Self-Raising Flour
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Treacle or Golden Syrup
  • 4 oz Marg or Butter
  • 1 teaspoon carb soda
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten.

Put your oats, sugar, flour and salt in a big mixing bowl and mix around.

Melt the Butter/Marg and the Syrup in a medium-sized saucepan until it’s completely melted. While still hot, add the Bi-Carb soda. This should react with the mixture and foam up. That’s why you need a bigger than small saucepan!

Pour the melted Butter mixture into the dry ingredients, and add the lightly beaten egg. You can see I used 2 eggs above, as our eggs are a little on the small side. You want your mixture to be nice and moist all the way through, so that it hangs together when you make it into balls.

Shape the Nutties into balls and press onto a lined baking tray. They will spread a bit when baked, but break apart easily.

Bake in a moderate (180C) oven, usually for only 10-15 minutes or until golden. Watch them carefully as they go from gold to brown in a couple of minutes. Gold is the best, as they are still soft and slightly gooey inside.

Barbara's Nutties - ready to enjoy!
Barbara’s Nutties – ready to enjoy!

Happy Crafting - Cassie.

Please be aware that there may be affiliate links in this content. Your support allows me to keep creating for you!

3 Responses

  1. grannysmiff

    This sounds really nice just a little different from Anzacs because of the addition of an egg or two.

  2. grannysmiff

    Cassandra I made a batch of Barbara’s Nutties this morning (Saturday) and yes you’re right they are indeed very moorish. I’m just finishing one as I type 🙂

    • Cassandra

      I’m so glad you gave them a try! It’s hard work here making a big batch last 5 days.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *