A quality chocolate biscuit is a simple pleasure – great for an afternoon snack or dunking into tea. But with growing scrutiny of ultra-processed foods, many people are reluctant to buy shop-bought biscuits. Fortunately, making your own is easier than you might think.
This recipe requires roughly 20 minutes, six ingredients and two optional extras, and works out at just 9p per biscuit. It yields 10-12 oaty chocolate biscuits that closely resemble McVitie's Chocolate Hobnobs. Those cost about 16p each, have significantly more ingredients and fall into the ultra-processed category.
The person behind the recipe, who is not a regular biscuit baker, was surprised by how effortless the process was – and how tasty the final biscuits turned out. The toughest critics, the children, approved as well.
How to make homemade chocolate 'hobnobs'
All you need is a mixing bowl, spoon, weighing scales and a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Ingredients
- 140g self-raising flour
- 140g brown sugar
- 140g oats
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 140g unsalted butter
- 100g dark or milk chocolate
- 2 tbsp honey or golden syrup (optional, adds sweetness and chew)
- A pinch of salt (optional, brings out the sweetness)
Method
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Melt the butter and fold it into the mixture, along with the honey if using.
- Divide into roughly 12 balls.
- Place on the baking tray and press flat.
- Bake at 180C for 12-15 minutes.
- Allow to cool thoroughly.
- Melt the chocolate and spoon it over the biscuits.
- Refrigerate until set.
If digestives are more to your taste, you can read colleague Mia's comparison of supermarket digestives versus leading brands.
