While I love pesto and parmesan and lots of other delicious savoury tastes, I definitely have a fondness for sweet treats. Once, if not twice during the week, I bake something sweet to 'have on hand'. However, last week, for different reasons, our pantry was looking rather bare on the 'sweet front' and on a few afternoons, I found myself making a piece of fairy bread just to satisfy my cravings...
So, on the weekend, I decided to make a batch of biscuit dough that I could freeze and then easily bake at a moment's notice.... I made a batch of nutty chocolate chip dough using a Stephanie Alexander recipe my sister-in-law had shared at one of our Cooking Clubs. I love the nut and chocolate combination and I love that I can pop a batch of these into the oven with little effort and be able to enjoy that freshly baked biscuit goodness...
Here's the recipe...
Chocolate Chip Biscuits
Makes 30-36
125g plain flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
120g roasted nuts, chopped (I’ve tried both pecans and hazelnuts)
170g bittersweet chocolate, chopped
110g softened unsalted butter
⅓
cup castor sugar
⅓
cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
Sift flour, salt and bicarb soda into a large bowl. Add chocolate and nuts (I roasted ours
slightly on a baking tray in a moderate oven for ten minutes before finely
chopping them in a mini food processor).
In an electric mixer cream butter, castor sugar and brown sugar until
pale and fluffy. Add egg, then fold in
chocolate mixture. Form into 2 logs
about 3cm in diameter and wrap tightly in plastic film. Chill for 1 hour before baking.
Preheat oven to 175°C and line a baking tray with
baking paper. Unwrap logs and cut into
1.5cm thick slices. Place on baking
tray, allowing room for spreading and bake for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Logs of biscuit dough can be frozen (the suggestion in
this recipe is to slip each log inside an empty cardboard tube from a roll of
kitchen paper to prevent them freezing with one side flattened). Thaw at room temperature before slicing and
baking.
Oh my goodness - look at her with those heart-shaped sunnies!! So cute! And that is quite a handy tip with the cardboard tube :-)
ReplyDeleteMel x
My Mum found those sunnies on the weekend at a garage sale and she wore them ALL day, even indoors despite me insisting their was no sun inside :) Apparently, Peppa Pig has a pair of heart shaped sunglasses and so they proved to be VERY popular :)
DeleteOh my goodness, Peppa Pig does wear a pair of heart shaped sunnies!! She looks cute as a button! And those cookies are making my mouth water. Giving them a try at the beach house this weeekend. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Roberta
ReplyDeleteDo the bickie bake a few times a week here as well and choc chip are a favorite.Love the sunnies,bargain.
ReplyDeleteYay, I do love a fellow fairy bread lover! :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great recipe, nutty biscuits are my favourite and I have been having chocolate cravings lately. Might just be whipping up a batch of these quite soon!
I've been doing a lot of baking lately for the same reason, in order to have a sweet snack on hand for those sugar cravings. The biscuit recipe I found had far too much sugar in it, so I think I'll try yours! X
ReplyDeleteYum!!
ReplyDeleteHands up, a BIG sweet tooth here :))))
These sounds great, will give them a try soon.
Miss Grace is rocking those sunnies :)
xx
Apparently they're just like the ones Peppa Pig buys in the episode where she visits the optometrist :)
DeleteOh they look yumbo! Will have to earmark this recipe. I've been known to eat cooking chocolate (even home brand cooking chocolate bought in the attempt to stop me eating cooking chocolate!)when the sweet tooth hits. Never thought of fairy bread. Nice one! Hope all is lovely :) x
ReplyDeleteYum! Grace looks so cute x
ReplyDeleteGorgeous sunnies, I will be trying that recipe, my boys will love it.x
ReplyDeleteGrace didn't like the nutty flavour of the pecan ones I made, however the hazelnut ones were a hit!
DeleteLove visiting your place, Amanda. Love your fairy bread fix too :)
ReplyDeleteGlad my 'secret sugar fix' has made you smile :)
DeleteHi Amanda...well isn't it nice to know we're never too old for fairy bread..? I've lost count of how many times over the years I've made fairy bread to satisfy a craving...lol....it's the child within us I believe.....I love making choc chip bikkies too...I have my trusty Margaret Fulton recipe that never fails and the go quick.....love the sunnies she looks adorable...xox
ReplyDeleteGrace looks adorable. She'd have such a nice time playing with my niece if they were able to meet. I like the idea of sweet things on hand and have been itching to do some baking lately. I might have to try this xx
ReplyDeleteHow long do you think the dough would last in the freezer? I have baby number 3 arriving in 4 weeks - and this would be perfect as a make now and freeze for work lunches/snacks later.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Just did a quick Google search and the Taste link below says 3 months. Making some sweet treats before your next bub arrives is a great idea and also great for when visitors pop by. Things like muffins are great to freeze and have on hand too.
Deletehttp://www.taste.com.au/how+to/articles/1032/how+to+freeze+cookie+dough
Thank you Amanda - I am definitely going to make some batches.
DeleteYou have lovely photos and recipes on your blog.
Kristy
Mmmm mmm yum! I love baking but I only bake for the kids now! :( Im learning to adapt sweet recipes for me (Im trying to loose a bit of weight/keep fit)but it is hard eating healthily with these baked goodies in my house!Ill just drool over your pictures for now! Your lucky you seem very slim and able to eat the yummies! Cassie
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I've been trying to search for some sweet recipes lately that don't contain quite so much sugar. When I do have a little treat with my cuppa, it's literally one biscuit, or one small piece of slice or a slither of cake. I have a sweet tooth, but it's just a little one thankfully :)
DeleteYes well after commenting this morning, I went to my girls sports carnival which we had to bring a plate to share (and I had to sample our gingerbread men we made and decorated together!) so sometimes it just can't be helped! All in moderation! What's life without a bit of cake anyhow!?! Cassie
Deleteoh those pictures and that recipe is making my tummy rumble. i wish i had one (or about six) of those cookies on hand right now!
ReplyDeleteI do crave a little bit of sweetness too especially chocolate:) Love Grace's groovy glasses, very cute. xx
ReplyDelete