MEGA CHOC CHIP OATMEAL BISCUITS

These biscuits are wonderful.  They taste fantastic and they are a little bit chewy and a little bit crunchy.  The also have rolled oats in them so they are practically a health food (*wink*).  This recipe makes around 26-28 biscuits but if you don't need that many, just halve the recipe.  If you prefer a crisper biscuit (rather than chewy in the middle) just cook them a few minutes longer until they are a bit more brown all over.

Mega Choc Chip Oatmeal Biscuits

250g butter, diced and very soft
2 eggs

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarb soda

1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (don't use the instant or quick cook variety)

1 1/2 cup of choc chips (dark or milk depending on your preference)

1 cup of roughly chopped pecans toasted (or you can use walnuts)

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
2. Place all the ingredients apart from the choc chips and nuts, in the bowl with the kneading blade in the order specified.
3. Set Speed 5, Time 20 seconds. When complete scrape down the bowl.
4. Add choc chips and nuts. Set Speed 5, Time 20 seconds. The dough should have come together. if not continue at Speed 5 in 5 second increments until it does.
5. Roll dough into golf ball sized balls. Place on the prepared baking tray an squash down into a disk with your fingers.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned all over.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking tray for 5 minutes before transfering to a wire cooling rack to cool.

NOTE: - to toast the pecans, place on a baking tray in the preheated oven for 7 minutes or until fragrant.

CHOCOLATE MELTING MOMENTS

 I am very fond of melting moments.  I have always loved the delicious shortbread taste and texture of them with that nice little pop of sweet filling in between.  These chocolate biscuits are a lovely take on the traditional vanilla ones.

CHOCOLATE MELTING MOMENTS

Biscuits

250g unsalted butter, diced and very soft
125g icing sugar mixture

2 tsp vanilla extract

250g plain flour

45g rice flour

30g cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

2. Place all ingredients in the bowl with the kneading blade.
3. Set Speed 8 for 40 seconds. Stop program after 20 seconds and scrape down sides. Resume program.

4. Shape dough into walnut sized balls and place on backing trays at least 2cm apart.

5. Flatten balls with the back of a fork.

6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Allow to cool on the tray for five minutes before cooling on a cooling rack.

Filling 

100g butter, diced and soft

60g icing sugar mixture

100g dark chocolate

1. Place chocolate, broken into squares, into the bowl with the kneading blade.

2. Select Sp3, 80 degrees for 4 minutes and start.
3. Allow chocolate to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Add butter and icing sugar mixture.
5. Select Speed 7 for 30 seconds.

6. Stop machine after 15 seconds and scrape down sides.

To assemble: either pipe the filling mixture onto the flat side of one biscuit and sandwich with another biscuit or use a spatula to spread the filling on the flat side of one biscuit before sandwiching with another biscuit.

MEGA CHOC FUDGE BISCUITS

These biscuits are fantastic. Very very rich and very chocolaty. This recipe makes about 20 biscuits.  The important thing is to not overcook them or they will lose their fudginess.  They will still be nice but the fudgy texture is best.

MEGA CHOC FUDGE BISCUITS 

180g butter diced

150g dark chocolate (70% cocoa is best) chopped
225g plain flour

80g cocoa

285g brown sugar

3 eggs

150g dark chocolate (extra)

75g white chocolate chopped (I used Milky Bar)

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees.  Line baking trays with baking paper.
2. Place butter and 150g of dark chocolate in the bowl with the kneading blade. Select Sp3 Temp 80 4.30min.
3. After 2 minutes, pause program and scrape down the sides. Resume program.
4. When program is complete add all ingredients apart from dark and white chocolate.
5. Select Pastry P1.
6. With 1 minute remaining on the program, pause and add dark and white chopped chocolate. Resume program.
7. At the end of the program roll the dough into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball and place on baking trays, leaving room for spreading.  Press down lightly with your fingers to flatten.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes.  If you are using more than one tray, swap trays around halfway through cooking to ensure even cooking.
9. When cooked, allow the biscuits to cool on trays for 5 minutes before either gobbling them down or transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling.

NOTE - if after making your dough, you find it a bit to soft to work with, allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes to firm up.

GINGERNUT BISCUITS

Dunking biscuits is one of life's guilty little pleasures.  There are many people that think that dunking a biscuit in a drink is bad manners....oh, what sad little lives they must lead!  Whether you dunk in a glass of milk, a cup of tea or a mug of hot chocolate, a biscuit seems to take on a completely different taste and texture.  These gingernut biscuits are just perfect for dunking.  They have a wonderful flavour and the additional of a little orange rind gives them a little extra something. You can cook them at the lower end of the cooking time for a biscuit that is crisp around the outside and chewy in the middle or cook for the longer time and have an all over harder and darker biscuit which is closer to the commercial variety.

GINGERNUT BISCUITS  

350g self raising flour
1/4 tsp salt
200g caster sugar

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp bicarb soda

125g butter chopped

70g golden syrup

1 egg

1 tsp orange rind

1. Line baking trays with baking paper. Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
2. Place butter and golden syrup in the bowl with the knead blade.
3. Select Sp 4, 80 degrees,, 3 min.

4. When program is finished place all other ingredients in the bowl.
5. Select Pastry P1 for 1 min.  After 30 seconds, stop program and scrape down sides. Resume program.

6. When program is finished, roll dough into balls slightly larger than walnuts. Place on trays, 3cm apart to allow for spreading and flatten the balls slightly with your fingers.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
8. When cooked, allow to cool on trays for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

HINT - when measuring golden syrup, spray the utensil you are measuring it with, with cooking spray.  When you tip it out, it will slide out easily without leaving residue.

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE BISCUITS

I have spent my adult baking life, on a quest for the perfect biscuit.  I had it once. I ate one.  It was at a wake, of all places.  Unfortunately, the circumstances prevented me from hunting down the person who made the biscuit and insisting they hand over the recipe.  My sense of decency and decorum got in the way.  I have often thought of that biscuit. The taste, the texture, the smell.  I have tried many times to recreate it - I have come close but never quite nailed it.  Well, today I believe that I have actually baked a biscuit that is even better than my post funeral nibble.  When I first tasted one of these biscuits today, my tongue thought it had died and gone to heaven.  The taste and texture are just perfect.  Of course I know that different people have different ideas about what constitutes the perfect biscuits but I really do think that even the toughest biscuit critic will enjoy these. (Yes, as per the picture, they are meant to be cracked.)  Bear in mind though, that results may vary according to the quality of your ingredients.  I am a cocoa/chocolate snob and I buy quality cocoa powder online and also quality cooking chocolate. It costs a bit but it really is worth it.  If you can't afford to buy expensive cocoa powder, I highly recommend that you get yourself to Woolworths and buy their Homebrand Cocoa Powder.  It is cheap as chips and it is very nearly just as good as the expensive cocoa.  So, with out further ado, I give you....

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE BISCUITS 

120g of chocolate (70% cocoa)
1 1/4 cups plain flour

1/3 cup cocoa 

1 tsp bicarb soda

1/2 tsp salt

125g butter, very soft and diced

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips

1/2 cup white sugar (for rolling biscuits in)

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Line baking trays with baking paper.
2. Place broken up chocolate in the jug with the kneading blade.  Select Speed 9 for 20 seconds.
3. Once program is complete select Speed 3 Temp 65 Time 3 minutes.

4. When chocolate is melted, allow to cool for five minutes.

5. Add all ingredients to the jug except for white sugar. Seclect Pastry P1 for 1 minute.
6. At the end of the program if the dough has formed a ball, use a spatula to break it up.
7. Add chocolate chips to the jug.  Select Speed 4 Time 30 seconds.

8. Roll mixture into balls slightly bigger than a walnut but smaller than a golf ball (best way I can describe it :-)  ). Roll balls in the white sugar.
9. Place balls on the line tray and press with hands to flatten.
10. Place in the oven on the second rack from the top. Bake for 14 minutes or until biscuits have cracked.
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before carefully removing to a wire cooling rack.

NOTE - with all recipes that I share, butter must be very soft but not melted.  It should be soft enough that you can poke your finger through it but it can still hold its shape.