- 150g (5½ oz/generous 1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 4g (1 teaspoon) bicarbonate of (baking) soda
- 120g (4½ oz/scant 1 cup) rolled oats
- 150g (5½ oz/¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- 150g (5½ oz/⅔ cup/1¼ sticks) unsalted butter
- 15g (1 tablespoon) golden syrup (light corn syrup)
- 500g (1lb 2oz) tempered dark (bittersweet) chocolate (65% cocoa solids)
- You will also need:
- •patterned plastic sheet
Chocolate hobnobs
William Curley
24th October 2016
Chocolate hobnobs
These are essentially a sweet version of an oatcake. Oatcakes are a Scottish tradition
believed to predate the Roman Empire and are oatmeal and water cooked on a
griddle. Hobnob biscuits began to be produced commercially in 1985. The term
‘hobnob’ was first used by Shakespeare in Twelfth Night. I would always choose them first out of the biscuit tin as I love the way the
chocolate melts when they are dipped in a cup of tea.
Recipe and images extracted from Nostalgic Delights by William Curley, photography by Kevin Summers, published by Jacqui Small (£25).
Ingredients
Method
Makes 24 biscuits
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas 4) and line two baking trays
(sheets) with silicone (baking) paper or a non-stick baking mat.
2 Sieve together the flour and bicarbonate of (baking) 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
(light corn syrup) and mix together. Pour this into the dry mixture and mix
well.
4 Divide the mix into 24 balls and place them on the prepared baking trays
(sheets). Gently push down on each ball to flatten them slightly. Bake for
18–20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack
to cool.
5 Temper the chocolate, then dip the top of each biscuit in the
tempered chocolate. Place, chocolate side down, on the patterned plastic sheet,
push down gently and leave to set for 1–2 hours. Carefully remove from the hobnobs
from the plastic.
Store in
an airtight container and consume within 1 week.
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