OK, so these didn't look like the gorgeous photo in the magazine (the Oct/Nov edition of Baking Heaven, a magazine I buy regularly) as I didn't have a special (and probably expensive!) patterned plastic sheet to put them on and get a fancy pattern on the chocolate, but . . . O.M.G. they tasted wonderful. I made them as a gift for my friend Tricia and her family when I went to visit last week. That meant I didn't get to eat more than one or two of them.
As you know, I am passionate about cooking and baking food from scratch so that you don't have a list of ingredients 35 items long. This recipe has just 7, as you will see. I used Lidl 70% chocolate with raspberry flavouring for the topping but you can use milk chocolate if you prefer.
Chocolate Hobnobs
Makes 24 biscuits
150g (5 1/2 oz) plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g (4 1/2 oz) rolled oats
150g (5 1/2 oz) caster sugar
150g (5 1/2 oz) unsalted butter (mine was salted, as that's what was at hand)
1 tblspn golden syrup
500 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
Patterned plastic sheet (I didn't have one).
1. Preheat oven to 180 deg. C/Gas mark 4 and line two baking trays with silicone paper, or alternatively use a non-stick baking mat.
2. Sieve together the flour and bicarbonate of soda twice into a bowl. Add the oats and sugar and mix well until evenly combined.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the golden syrup and mix together. Pour this into the dry mixture and mix well.
4. Divide the mixture into 24 balls and place them on the the prepared baking trays. gently push down on each ball in order to flatten them slightly. Bake for 18-20 mins, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and place onto a wire rack to cool.
5. Temper the chocolate: Place 2/3 of the chopped chocolate into a double boiler or over a bain marie. (I use a glass bowl over a pan of water.) Do NOT boil the water as it may scold the chocolate. Stir regularly until the chocolate has melted and reaches 45 - 50 deg. C, ensuring all the fat and sugars have melted evenly. (Oops - forgot to do that). Now gradually add the remaining cocolate, stirring until everything has fulled melted, cools to 28-29 deg. C and thickens. Warm back up to 31-32 deg. C. The chocolate is now tempered ready for use. (Note to self: must be more scientific).
Dip the top of each biscuit into th chocolate and place chocolate side down onto the patterned plastic sheet. Push down gently and leave to set for 1 - 2 hrs. Carefully remove the hob nobs from the plastic and store in an airtight container and consume within one week. As you can see, I just spooned the chocolate onto my biscuits, but they tasted just as good!
