I’ve developed a serious biscuit habit since we’ve been locked down, which seems to also be the case for a lot of other people I’ve spoken to. We never used to buy biscuits, and having a biscuit mid-afternoon would have been a rarity, however since lock down began we’ve been buying dark chocolate hobnobs and eating them like they’re going out of fashion. Every time the kids send my stress levels over a certain point, I vanish into the utility room to sneakily eat a biscuit in there. Not a good habit, so I’m trying to wean myself off them, and cold turkey is not an option as my will power has been temporarily misplaced since lock down began.
Cue, these biscuits, which are a half way point between a healthy oatcake and a sweet biscuit. They’re just sweet enough to scratch the itch when the sugar craving strikes, but with only 1 tbsp of sugar spread across 15 biscuits, and dark chocolate which is basically health food, I think these are pretty guilt-free.
[recipe title=”Chocolate chip oatcakes” time=”1h” difficulty=”easy”]Makes 15 x 7cm round biscuits, but you can cut them into any shape or size you like – if you’re in a rush, just cut them into squares with a knife.
[recipe-ingredients]- 50g plain flour
- 50g rolled oats
- 50g medium oatmeal
- 1 tbsp caster sugar (feel free to increase this if you want a sweeter treat – as per the intro, these are pretty virtuous)
- Pinch salt
- 50g unsalted butter
- 50ml boiling water
- 40g dark chocolate (I used 54% but go darker if you prefer)
- Heat the oven to 180’c, and line a baking tray with non-stick baking parchment.
- Chop the dark chocolate finely.
- Melt the butter in a jug using the microwave, then pour the boiling water over it, and stir.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, rolled oats, oatmeal, sugar and salt, then pour the water and butter mixture over it and stir to combine. Mix to a dough, then cover the bowl with cling film and transfer it to the fridge to cool for 30 mins. Once cooled, stir in the chopped chocolate and knead/stir it until the chocolate is evenly distributed. Don’t be tempted to skip the cooling stage, as the chocolate will melt.
- Roll the dough out to 2mm thickness*, then cut into rounds, re-rolling the trimmings until it’s all used up. Alternatively, simply cut them into squares or rectangles if you’re in a hurry. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes at 180’c, until golden brown and dry to the touch.
- Transfer to a cooling rack, and leave to cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container.
*make sure you roll them thinly, otherwise they’ll be tough rather than crunchy once baked.
[/recipe-notes] [/recipe]
