Rickety Uncle (1940) ★★★

I love the name of this recipe!
Internet sleuthing didn't turn up much information about these simple bars. They seem to be one of those "hand-me-down" recipes that people remember their grandmothers making. There seems to be a few different versions, but it always includes brown sugar and oats, with very little fat. Some versions include flour, but this one doesn't - but I love that there are only 4 ingredients.

Original Recipe:


The Verdict:
This turned out basically like crisp topping. Some pieces held together alright once it had cooled completely, but most of it either crumbled as I cut it or crumbled when I took a bite. It was just too dry to stick together like a bar. It needed just a bit of milk or flour or something in there. Regardless, Mr. Man said these were "amazing" and "delicious" and I agree. I would advocate making these, just add a little something more to help them keep together or perhaps just use a little less oats. Also, don't worry if they do fall apart - they are supposed to be "rickety", after all. Plus we used the crumbs for a delicious parfait! I gave the recipe itself three stars, but the taste was definitely worth four.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from United Farmers of Canada, Saskatchewan Section Limited Cook Book)

This is easy to follow from the original recipe. A hot oven is 400 - 450F, so I went with 425F for the suggested 10 minutes.

Anje graduated with a Honours Bachelors degree in History with a minor in Museum Studies. She currently lives and works in Japan's least populous prefecture as an assistant English teacher.

17 comments:

  1. These look simple enough to make with few ingredients. My kind of recipe...

    ReplyDelete
  2. They are supposed to be crumbly but your were too crumbly because they were cooked at a bit too high of a temp. Try them at 350 or 375.

    ReplyDelete
  3. OMG when I was at University and had the munchies, I would melt butter and mix it together with brown sugar and oats . I'd never even bake it, just eat it up with a spoon. I thought I'd invented it! (I'm surprised I still have teeth)

    ReplyDelete
  4. My mom used to make this in the morning while we were getting ready for school, after we'd announced that it was our turn to bring something to school - of course, forgetting to let her know the night before - she always coped and we loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Origin is Irish. 450 oven much too hot, 350 oven is all that's needed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I wonder if adding an egg would help to keep these from being too crumbly. I wi make as soon as I get home today.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I always put this on top of a pan of sliced apples then bake as directed. So good

    ReplyDelete
  8. I wonder if a little maple syrup, or nut butter would help

    ReplyDelete
  9. My family had a recipe that is exactly like this except you add a squeeze of lemon juice. It makes them taste a lot better. The name of our recipe is « Uncle Wiggly »

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cute names…Rickity Uncle or Uncle Wiggly…I bet the children would get a giggle from the names.

      Delete
  10. They look & sound like flapjack….I don’t add sugar to mine just golden syrup

    ReplyDelete
  11. This recipe was my mom’s lifesaver when my siblings and I were going to school. We always had a sweet treat. She would bake it first thing in the morning. Loved waking up to the sweet smell of the bars baking!

    ReplyDelete
  12. You may as well just make no bake cookies. Butter, sugar boiled, add vanilla and oats and drop by tsp onto wax paper. Holds together and basically the same.

    ReplyDelete