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Hi Bold Bakers!
I thought I would bring some Irish flavor to my desserts and share with you a biscuit that is very popular on the Emerald Isle–Homemade Chocolate Hobnobs.
They are best described as an oaty shortbread with chocolate on top. Biscuits in Ireland are not the same as the soft American biscuits, they are a cookie. However cookies can be soft and chewy where as biscuits are mostly crips and crunchy, with no softness.
Biscuit are made to be enjoyed with a cup of tea. Dunking them in your tea is what softens them. The Irish are a nation of tea drinkers.
Tea is consumed morning, noon and night in my house. Even living in the States now I still carry on the tradition and have tea time everyday around 3 o’clock. I sit down, watch my stories and have a cup of Irish tea.
I love making homemade versions of baked good that are commonly bought in the store. I have a fantastic recipe for Homemade Graham Crackers that taste just like the real thing.
Try These Recipes!
Homemade Chocolate Hobnobs
Ingredients
Chocolate Hobnobs Cookie Dough
- ⅔ cup (3½ oz/94 g) fine whole wheat flour
- ⅔ cup (2 oz/56 g) rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) butter , softened
- ⅓ cup (2 oz/57 g) dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup
Chocolate Coating
- ⅔ cup (4 oz/115 g) chopped bittersweet chocolate
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz/28 g) butter
Instructions
To Make the Chocolate Hobnobs Cookie Dough
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃) fan assist. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Add the golden syrup and mix until incorporated.
- Reduce the speed to low, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Using a 1 tablespoon measure, scoop the dough and roll into balls. Place them on your prepared baking trays about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart and flatten each ball to about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter.
To Bake the Chocolate Hobnobs
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until evenly golden brown. Allow to cool on the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Chocolate Coating
- In a microwave-safe bowl add the chocolate and butter and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each, until fully melted.
To Assemble the Chocolate Hobnobs
- Dollop a teaspoon of chocolate on top of each cookie and spread out evenly using the back of a spoon.
- Once the chocolate has slightly set swirl your spoon across the chocolate working your way down the cookie in the shape of a figure eight. This will create that classic Hobnob look!
- Place the cookies in the fridge for 10 minutes or until the chocolate is fully set.
To Serve and Store the Chocolate Hobnobs
- Enjoy with a cup of tea! Store leftover Hobnobs in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
What may I ask are porridge oats? Canada here. Quick oats, one minute oats, large flake oats, steel cut oats? I want to purchase the correct oat for best success ! Thanks very much excited to bake these! Kelly
These are delicious! Thin, crispy, the right amount of saltiness and a hint of butterscotch. I used dark chocolate and it is hard to stay away from them. I mill my own flour and used hard red wheat berries and old fashioned oats.
Just made these. Delicious! Seriously good and really easy to make. I rolled the dough into a log, chilled it and then sliced biscuits off to bake, I made 18! I’ve not chocolate coated them this time but will try that another time.
I’ve always been a disaster at biscuit making, but this recipe was fab.. they turned out perfect! Thank you
Looking forward to trying out this recipe! Hobnobs are Scottish, though!
Gemma, do you think almond flour could be substituted for the whole wheat meal?
Your wonderful response to the oatmeal confused me. For us in America, do we use Old Fashion, quick or steel cut oats in recipe? Thank you.
I truly love following your blog! I set out to make this recipe, but ended up with a few replacements: I only had 6 oz of soft butter, so added 3 T tahini, used brown rice syrup for golden syrup, coconut sugar for brown sugar, and sprouted whole wheat flour for the “wholemeal” flour. I also put choc chips in the cookie b/c I didn’t want to mess with melting. Not sure if you would still consider them “hobnobs” but my husband loves them!
Thank you for the recipe. I Love Milk Chocolate Hobnobs. I have been buying them online, but now I can make my own.
This recipe is awesome! I kept the dough in the freezer in between putting cookies on the pan (I only used one pan) and they turned out great. I used a cup to shape the cookies into more perfect circles once they had baked. I also used your recipe for golden syrup. Everything turned out great! Thank you for the recipe!