Friday, January 31, 2014

Treat me: Chocolate Teapot Biscuits

Chocolate Spelt Cookies

Who came up with the expression 'as much use as a chocolate teapot'?

Can you tell me? The internet can't, and when you think of all the things the internet knows, that's saying something.

In the meantime, I can tell you how to make some very useful chocolate teapot biscuits. You don't have to make them teapot-shaped, but if you happen to find a very beautiful teapot-shaped cookie cutter while your kitchen is being torn apart, then here's what you should do with it. If you don't have a teapot-shaped cutter, you can make them into rounds sandwiched together with raspberry jam. Both are recommended.

Chocolate Spelt Biscuits With Raspberry Jam

Chocolate Spelt Biscuits
I remember making a version of these with my mother more than - gulp - 25 years ago. They were quite plain to me then, but lately I've had a mad taste-memory craving for them. I like to think of them as the Coco Chanel of cut-out cookies; thin, brown and quite elegant.
Don't think of making these without the chocolate coating unless you like your cookies to be very plain. They taste quite austere alone, but the chocolate brings everything into balance.
Given the teapot and the chocolate, these are the perfect entry for February's Tea Time Treats Challenge, hosted with effortless style by the amazing Karen of Lavender and Lovage Fame.

1 1/4 cups wholemeal spelt flour
2/3 cup self-raising flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
120g cold butter, diced
60ml milk
100g good quality dark chocolate (about 60 per cent cocoa is about right, any higher and it will be too bitter)

Heat the oven to 180C and line two trays with baking paper.
Put the flours, salt, baking powder and sugar in a food processor and whiz to combine.
Add the butter and process until well blended. Keep the motor running and pour in the milk. Process until it forms a dough.
Turn out onto a piece of cling film or baking paper and gather into a ball, then roll out to about 4mm thick (you can do this in two batches if you're working with limited space). Cut out shapes - even rectangles will do, if you don't have an arsenal of cookie cutters at your disposal - and divide between the two prepared trays. Prick each one with a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove to racks to cool completely.
Melt the chocolate (I do it in a heatproof bowl in the cooling oven) and spread or drizzle over each biscuit. Don't be mean about it. Estee Lauder once said that wearing perfume was 'like loving - you can't be stingy' - and the same applies to chocolate.

With that mixed visual metaphor fresh in your mind, I wish you a very good weekend!


Lavender and Lovage

9 comments:

  1. What a lovelz cookies zou made this time.piece of theepot and another one with it please

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  2. i love a plain biscuit - but i adore even more so one slathered in chcoclate. best of both worlds!
    and i love the teapot shape, you have planted the seeds of desire...

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  3. I'm always looking for recipes that involve spelt flour. These look great...Cool cookie cooker, I haven't seen one as lovely before. I've not made biscuits for ages and this is first weekend at home with no visitors for a long time so I may have a go at making them tomorrow. I like the idea of the Coco Chanel of biscuits...
    Have a fun weekend.
    debx

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    1. Thanks Debby, hope you have a lovely weekend too. Let me know how they turn out!

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  4. Hello my name is Francesca and I'm Italian. I discovered your blog by accident, looking for new things. I have joined your followers. If you go too foul. Thank you. Francesca

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  5. These ARE indeed the Coco Chanel of biscuits Lucy and I LOVE them! SUCH a fabulous idea! Thanks so much for adding them to the February Tea Time Treats challenge! Karen xxx

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  6. Oh My! These look absolutely gorgeous! I'm drooling over my keyboard. :)

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  7. Those look delightful! And I know I'll like the plain unimbellished biscuit just fine (I scrape off and throw away the filling in sandwich cookies!).

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  8. These are gorgeous. I've never used spelt flour before and it's inclusion into a biscuit is intriguing =)

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Hello - thanks for stopping by. If this was real life I'd make you a cup of tea and open the biscuit tin, but in lieu of those things, let's have a chat anyway...