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The oatmeal used for this recipe was Hamlyn's Scottish Oatmeal which we sourced in our local Co-op [UK]. The best thing about parkin biscuits is that their flavour and texture deliciously develop as they sit in the biscuit tin just like a Parkin cake, so they are the ideal bake for filling up the cookie jar. 🍪 Be-Ro parkin biscuits
Use a pestle and mortar (or a spice grinder) and grind up the oatmeal into smaller, finer pieces – you can soak this overnight in a little milk if you want softer biscuits. Then in a large mixing bowl sift in the plain flour and rub the softened butter into it until it becomes like fine breadcrumbs. Although the frugal and savvy cooks during the 1940s war years of food rationing and shortages, and the 1930s Great Depression eras, already worked this one out! Jump to: The parkin pig is very local to us Keighley folks being in the middle of the Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Yorkshire triangle where this traditional delicacy used to be eaten on plot night around the bonfire. Sadly due to the small bakeries closing down (me included) making way for the big boys the parkin pig has decline in numbers over the years and almost vanished without saying goodbye. For the ground oats, simply pulse rolled porridge oats in a food processor or blender until they are mostly ground up but still retain some chunky texture; you don't want to blend them too far and make oat flour. See photo above for what the texture should look like.
Oats: You could use fine or medium oatmeal, but I don't bother buying different oats just to make parkin. I simply pulse porridge oats in the food processor/blender until they are mostly ground up, but still retain some chunky texture; you don't want to blend them too far and end up making oat flour. Making a Parkin cake, couldn't be easier. Once you've switched on the oven, weighed out all the ingredients, greased and lined your baking tin, you are ready to start baking. These Perkins (Parkins) will last over a week fresh in an airtight tin or jar, eat them as they are, with some butter, or traditionally with some jam or fruit preserve. They taste really great and each time you open the jar or tin you will get a lovely smell of cinnamon.
Finally, a very important key to making parkin is to LET IT SIT IN A SEALED CONTAINER FOR AT LEAST 3 DAYS BEFORE EATING. The resting time is what develops both the texture and the flavor of the cake and is essential. The oats will soften, the treacle and golden syrup will fully penetrate and soak through the grains, and the flavor of the spices will fully develop. So don’t be impatient, let time do its intended job! In the North of England, oats was a cheaper grain to grow compared to wheat, and so when the oats were harvested at the beginning of November the Tharf cake or biscuit was baked. Once the parkin has cooled it can be eaten right away, or stored in a tin for up to a couple of weeks. Traditionally Yorkshire parkin is also made with lard instead of butter. Lard adds a layer of richness and also creates a moister cake. We’re using some of each to get the best of both worlds but you can use all butter if you prefer.
Gently knead together all the scrap dough until it’s used up, adding a large currant for each pig’s eye. This product has a minimum shelf life of 4 months from baking so there is plenty of time to enjoy this treat. Heat the mixture until the sugar is melted (don’t boil it) and remove from the heat. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
We are a vegan family recipe blog so all our ingredient recommendations are for plant-based and vegan-friendly ingredients - such as plant-based milk, butter, and margarine - however if you have different dietary requirements you can use your usual ingredients. Parkin biscuits originate from the classic British parkin cake which evolved from the old Thor or Tharf un-leavened biscuit-like cakes. Parkin is also a type of gingerbread cake, but with one major difference - parkin also contains oatmeal or rolled oats. If you aren't in the UK then mixed spice is a blend of sweet spices. You could use pumpkin spice instead or just add a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.Turns out, Perkins are the biscuit of my dreams. Crunchy little biscuits, loaded with sweetness, hearty oats and warming spices. And best of all, they’re topped with a lovely little almond. I wasn’t sure what to expect at the initial request – how good could they be if I hadn’t even heard of them? But like a lot of recipes our Granny’s would have baked, they’ve just ended up being a little lost along the way. If storing within a plastic type food container wrap in a layer of parchment paper and a layer of kitchen foil. In Scotland Perkins (also known as Parkins) are oat biscuits, with very close roots and ingredients to the ginger, treacle and oat cake of Northern England, and in particular Yorkshire, where it is commonly referred to as ‘Parkin’, (Yorkshire Parkin Recipe). Although there are many similarities, not least the name, the major difference is that Scottish Perkins (or Parkins) are crisp oat biscuits, and not like the more famous softer ginger, oat and treacle Parkin cake of Northern England. Perkins Recipe Parkin cake is traditionally baked for the Halloween festivities, as well as Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night on the 5th November, where it is traditional to eat a slice of Parkin along with a mug of milk in front of the bonfire. Although parkin is tasty at any time during the autumn and winter months, and if your a parkin fan then you can enjoy parkin at any time of the year! 📜 Origin of parkin In a large pan gently melt the the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup on a low heat, stirring continuously to prevent any burning
Additionally the original recipe states to rub the margarine into the dried ingredients to create a breadcrumb like texture, however we melted the margarine and simply mixed it into the dry ingredients along with the treacle and milk, and this different method worked well for our parkin biscuits. 🥣 How to prepareFor the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them. Historically, tharf cakes were also eaten during the Twelfth night or Twelve days after Christmas, and traditionally on the 1st November on All Saints Day or 2nd November, during All Souls Day. Other traditional medieval biscuits for All Souls Day are Soul Cakes which are a crisp biscuit that also contain oatmeal and spices. Though parkin and tharf cake appear to be synonymous, all parkins generally were sweet tharf cakes. [6] Tharf cake [ edit ]
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