Parkin Recipe

I offered to bake Danny a potato, and let him try to eat it outside wearing a pair of mittens, but strangely he wasn't interested in a traditional Bonfire Night experience. We ate parkin instead.

This is likely as close as I'll ever get to the parkin of my memory. It is really delicious, sticky, dense, and full of ginger. I'll eat more than I ought to, complain about it, and finish off most of it by myself.

You need not wait for next year to bake this delicious gingerbread-with the holiday season kicking into gear, this is easy enough to make and tote, provided you give it at least five days (a week is better) to cure.

You Will Need:

1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
2 ounces dark molasses
7 ounces golden syrup (or corn syrup if you can't find golden)
3/4 cup rolled oats (not quick)
1 3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped crystalised ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk

Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

In a saucepan, melt the butter, sugar, molasses, and golden syrup over medium heat until combined. Don't let it boil or you will have candy-and a mess. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Add the melted butter/sugar mixture and mix well. Add the eggs slowly, and beat in with a wooden spoon. Add the milk and give it all a final mix. Tip the batter into the prepared pan. Place it on a baking sheet (this has a tendency to spill over, and you don't want to clean sugar syrup out of your oven). Bake about 1 hour, but as long as 1 1/2. You want the parkin to be dark brown, and the top should be set, but it will still seem soft. The middle will sink when removed from the oven-that's normal. Cool in the tin. When cool, wrap tightly in wax paper, and then in foil. Store tightly wrapped for 5-7 days before serving so it will acquire the sticky, heavy candy-like texture.

Then, when ready to eat-hide it, so you can eat it all yourself!