Bumper oat cookies

• butter↗175g g
• demerara sugar↗175g g
• golden syrup↗100g g
• plain flour↗85g g
• bicarbonate of soda↗½ tsp ½ tsp
• porridge oats↗250g g
• ground cinnamon↗1 tsp tsp
• each of ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped and stem ginger100g g

  chopped

• dried sour cherries↗75-80g pack g

  pack

• boiling water2 tbsp tbsp
• medium egg↗1

  beaten

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 180 °C/fan 160 °C/gas 4. Line several baking sheets with parchment or non‑stick sheets. Warm the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a large saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Stir in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, oats, cinnamon, dried fruits and ginger, then the water and finally the egg. Leave to cool until easy to handle.

2. 2

   With dampened hands, shape the mixture into 18 large balls, then flatten them onto the baking sheets—allowing plenty of space for spreading—and bake for 15‑20 minutes until golden. (For a softer cookie, leave as is; for a crisper one, lower the heat to 160 °C/fan 140 °C/gas 3 and bake for a further 5‑10 minutes.)

3. 3

   Allow the cookies to cool on the trays briefly, then lift onto a cooling rack. Keep in an airtight container, separated with parchment, for up to 1 week.