Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's oat cookies

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's oat cookies

Learn how to make these Oaty Dunking Biscuits from the River Cottage chef's book, Good Comfort.

Makes 8 biscuits
Magazine gift subscriptions - from just £14.99 every 6 issues. Christmas cheer delivered all year!

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

This is such a simple and rewarding little recipe – just right for when you get a hankering for something sweet to dip into a cup of tea. I have deliberately kept this batch small, so you don’t have a tinful of cookies sitting around! – Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Customise this recipe by adding a sprinkle of raisins to make oat and raisin cookies, or try adding roasted hazelnuts and finely chopped stem ginger.

This is an extract from River Cottage Good Comfort: Best-Loved Favourites Made Better For You by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, with photography by Simon Wheeler.

Ingredients

  • 125g Butter
  • 50g Soft light brown sugar
  • 125g Fine plain wholemeal flour
  • 75g Porridge oats
  • Pinch salt

Method

  • Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 and line a baking tray with baking paper.

  • Step 2

    Put the butter and brown sugar into a small saucepan over a low heat to melt the butter gently, stirring often. Take off the heat.

  • Step 3

    Mix the flour, oats and salt and stir into the melted mixture. Take dessertspoonfuls of the mix and place in piles on the baking sheet, then use the back of the spoon to flatten each pile into a rough circle, no more than about 1cm deep.

  • Step 4

    Bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes, until the cookies are turning golden at the edges. They will still be soft at this point: leave to cool completely and crisp up before removing from the tray. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Serve with a mug of tea, coffee or hot chocolate, for dunking your cookies.

Author avatar

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a multi-award-winning writer and broadcaster known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food and his concern for the environment. He has earned a huge following through his River Cottage TV series and books, as well as campaigns such as Hugh’s Fish Fight, Hugh’s War on Waste and his latest, Britain’s Fat Fight and, his latest, War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita.

You may also like

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall with odd squash – at River Cottage

Countryfile

Podcast: A walk with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall at River Cottage

10/11/2022
Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall talks about the power of eating for health and happiness in episode 3, season 14 of the Countryfile Magazine Plodcast
Show more
food-and-drink
food-recipes
podcast
south-west-england
dorset
food
foraging
hugh-fearnley-whittingstall
podcast
Venison ragu on plate of green tagliatelle pasta with goats cheese crumbled on top

Countryfile

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Venison Ragu

10/5/2022
The River Cottage chef and author gives us his rich and earthy recipe for Venison pasta ragu. Perfect for a slow-cooked treat at the end of a winter walk.
Show more
autumn
food-and-drink
food-recipes
how-to
winter
Best British Cookbooks

Countryfile

Best British cook books

1/24/2022
Add some creative culinary skill to your favourite British meals with our selection of the best British cookbooks.
Show more
news
vegan gravy recipe from River Cottage

Countryfile

River Cottage vegan gravy

12/16/2021
Try this rich and flavourful vegan gravy as a perfect accompaniment to a vegan or vegetarian roast dinner.
Show more
christmas
food-recipes
recipes
seasonal-recipes
vegan
winter
Hugh Fearnley Whittingstalls golden looking oat biscuits being dunked into a cup of tea

Gill Meller

This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
© Our Media 2025