Quick'n'easy chocolate biscuits!

If you're likely to have people dropping in over Christmas, these are great to have on stand-by, (if you can keep them in the biscuit tin for long enough!) They taste fantastic, are so quick and easy to make, and while they're cooking your house will smell like a chocolate-filled...erm...house!!! They also make a great last-minute gift, packaged in a pretty box tied with a ribbon, or a plastic confectionery bag.

I've adapted the recipe from a Marks & Spencer one, because the quantities given in that recipe are, to be frank, miserably stingy. The M&S method is overcomplicated as well - this one that I use is tried and tested, and gives perfect results every time.

For 16-20 decent-sized biscuits, you will need:

230g butter (plus a little extra for greasing)

180g plain flour

5 tablespoons cocoa powder (good quality - I use Green & Blacks)

110g caster sugar

1 generous tablespoon vanilla essence

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 190 degrees C, 375 degrees F, Gas Mark 5. Grease two large baking sheets.

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl - I use my electric hand blender for speed. Sieve the flour and the cocoa powder into the creamed mixture, and mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined (and the mixture resembles something akin to brown Play Doh!!)

Drop teaspoonfulls of the mixture onto the baking sheets - the easiest way is to use two teaspoons, one to scoop and the other to scrape. Space the dollops so that they have a little room to spread.

Bake in the oven for 17 minutes - this is when your house will smell absolutely divine! As soon as they're out of the oven, carefully transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool. They will still be soft, and I use a flat slice to take them off the baking tray. They will harden as they cool. Enjoy!!

This is my last post before Christmas, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year. Lots of love to you all!

Jo xxx

Comments

[Angela]

ooooooh yummy :D If I get some time this weekend I want to give these a go :D