Irish Lace Crumbles

Long ago, if you were a poor Irish peasant, you could usually be found digging up potatoes, sheering sheep or wondering when the property barons were coming for the rent. However,  every once in a while on special occasions, you could make these beautiful, little crumble/cookies with the few ingredients on hand in your nearly bare cupboards.

The beauty of the Irish is making do with what they have. Well, maybe not so much nowadays but I'm thinking if you weren't royals back in the day, you were poor as dirt. The survivors who didn't starve to death from the potato famine left for America and with them came their simple recipes.  Irish Lace Cookies are a bit trickier than I expected but the Crumbles taste rich and cookie-ish so what's not to like?  Me thinks a Pooka or a Changeling got into me kitchen and crumbled me cookies!

Irish Lace Crumbles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 stick (1/2 c) softened butter
3/4 c brown sugar
Cream until light and fluffy.

2 TBSP flour
2 TBSP milk
1 TBSP vanilla
1 1/4 c old fashioned oats--not quick cooking
Mix together and stir into butter/sugar mixture.

1 apple cored--sprinkle with cinnamon and pat of butter--microwave for 2-3 minutes until tender.

Drop dough by teaspoonful onto Pam'd cookie sheets, at least 3" apart and cook for 10-12 minutes--watch carefully so not to burn.  They will be flat.  Remove from oven and let sit on cookie sheet for 1 minute. These are very difficult to remove (if you forget to spray the sheets with Pam) and as such, what was to be cookies turned into crumbles.  If you are very careful and skilled, you can now do one of two things: for flat cookies--with thin, metal spatula, carefully move to cooling racks and let completely cool. Or: remove cookie from sheet and immediately roll up around wooden spoon handle and place on cooling racks until completely cooled. If you try to handle the cookies before they are cool, they will fall apart--I promise--so let them cool.

Place cooked apple on dish, top with crumbles and serve with cookies (if you were able to get a cookie off the darned cookie sheet).

These are delightful, delicate, buttery bites. Impressive enough to serve at tea on a pretty tray if you make the cookies or as a topping for vanilla ice cream, apples or just stuffing into your mouth with a glass of milk.  Just watch out for that Pooka.

Bon The'