Sticky Parkin recipe

There are lots of reasons why I love this cold, blustery time of the year, but one of the main ones is because it means that the time has come to start baking winter recipes again. I found this recipe for sticky parkin on Country Living, and for the first time ever this year, I managed to make some a few days before Bonfire Night so that we could eat some, as is traditional, to the sound of the shrieks and bangs of fireworks going off in the rainy evening sky. It’s a very easy recipe to make, and it’s a lovely winter recipe even though Bonfire Night has now passed.

You will need:
– 110g butter
– 110g black treacle
– 200g golden syrup
– 110g molasses sugar
– 200g sifted self-raising flour
– 110g medium oatmeal
– 1tsp ground cinnamon
– 1tsp ground cardamom
– 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
– 1 medium egg, beaten
– 100ml milk

Step 1

Line a baking tin (about 30cm x 20cm) with parchment and preheat the oven to 150 degrees (130 if you have a fan oven). Then put the sugar, butter, golden syrup and treacle into a saucepan and heat gently until melted.

Step 2

While the above mixture cools a little, put all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well. I couldn’t find ground cardamom in the supermarket, so I ground my own in a pestle and mortar using the cardamom pods I had in the cupboard.

Step 3

Pour the melted mixture into the dry mixture and mix thoroughly.

Step 4

Add the egg and milk and mix until you have a smooth, thick mixture.

Step 5

Pour into your lined tin and bake for around an hour. When it’s ready, a skewer will come out clean.

Step 6

Allow to cool slightly and cut into even squares.

When cool, put them into an air-tight container and leave for a five days or more, as it gets stickier and stickier. You just have to resist the temptation to eat any until then, which is easier said than done!