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Rickety Uncles
There is the recipe I've made a few times over the years that has very, very variable results. It comes from one of those recipe-collection books that was compiled to mark some significant anniversary of my mother's home town of Ewen Michigan. I don't have a copy of the book (she does), but this is the recipe as I typed it up when she read it to me over the phone many years ago:
Rickety Uncles
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp soda
4 cup rolled oats
Melt the butter. Add sugar, salt and soda. Bring to a rolling boil and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the oats. Mix well.
Spread into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan and bake 10 minutes at 325 degrees F. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
**********************
The first time I ever made it the result was a truly yummy, chewy bar, with the best texture, ever. Since then sometimes it comes out nice and chewy, and other times it is dry and crumbly, and I have no idea what the difference is. The dry, crumbly version makes an interesting desert topping, but it just isn't what I want when I make these. Because of the unpredictability of the results, years often elapse between attempts--if I get a dry, crumbly version, I don't bother again. Tonight I decided to try again (but only with a half-batch, we do *not* need that much junk food in the house. Alas, tonight's results are a bit on the crumbly side--not as bad as it has been, but still not what I wanted.
The possibilities I've thought of to explain the difference include:
a) difference in type of oats -- quick vs long cooking?
b) moisture content of the oats?
c) the amount of time spent in the rolling boil
The reason I'm asking here is to see if anyone with candy-making experiance can offer a suggestion as to the best way to adjust this recipe if the problem has to do with the amount of time the sugar/butter boil. I know that sugar behaves very differently the longer one boils it for candy making, but not being one who cares for most candy, I've never played with it myself. If my result is crumbly instead of chewy is the sugar/butter boiling too long? Not long enough? Are there any visual clues to tell when it is at the perfect stage? My thanks to anyone who can help me once again experiance chewy Rickety Uncles.
Rickety Uncles
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp soda
4 cup rolled oats
Melt the butter. Add sugar, salt and soda. Bring to a rolling boil and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the oats. Mix well.
Spread into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan and bake 10 minutes at 325 degrees F. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
**********************
The first time I ever made it the result was a truly yummy, chewy bar, with the best texture, ever. Since then sometimes it comes out nice and chewy, and other times it is dry and crumbly, and I have no idea what the difference is. The dry, crumbly version makes an interesting desert topping, but it just isn't what I want when I make these. Because of the unpredictability of the results, years often elapse between attempts--if I get a dry, crumbly version, I don't bother again. Tonight I decided to try again (but only with a half-batch, we do *not* need that much junk food in the house. Alas, tonight's results are a bit on the crumbly side--not as bad as it has been, but still not what I wanted.
The possibilities I've thought of to explain the difference include:
a) difference in type of oats -- quick vs long cooking?
b) moisture content of the oats?
c) the amount of time spent in the rolling boil
The reason I'm asking here is to see if anyone with candy-making experiance can offer a suggestion as to the best way to adjust this recipe if the problem has to do with the amount of time the sugar/butter boil. I know that sugar behaves very differently the longer one boils it for candy making, but not being one who cares for most candy, I've never played with it myself. If my result is crumbly instead of chewy is the sugar/butter boiling too long? Not long enough? Are there any visual clues to tell when it is at the perfect stage? My thanks to anyone who can help me once again experiance chewy Rickety Uncles.