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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ingredients
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