Quite a lot has been happening in this household lately and I felt in need of some serious comfort and restorative baking. These biscuits are an adaptation of my chocolate, oat and almond cookies that I posted some time ago. This time spelt flour comes into play and gives the biscuit a delicious crumb.
My eldest is now off from school for the summer and so we baked these together, the three of us, piled up at the worktop. I was very happy indeed when she shouted “Yippee, this is fun, and I am not at school this time”. A reference, I have no doubt, to the fact that since she started school she usually comes home to something that her younger sister and I have baked together, but the three of us haven’t had much time in the kitchen together lately.
Making these biscuits went a little way to righting that wrong.
Makes about 12 large biscuits.
100g softened butter
100g soft brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
75g plain flour
50g spelt flour
50g ground almonds
25g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
100g good quality dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°c, gas mark 4, or use the baking oven of a three or four oven Aga.
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy and light. Add the egg and the vanilla extract and beat well. With a large metal spoon stir in the flours, baking powder, almonds and cocoa powder.
Place heaped dessertspoonfuls of the mixture onto lightly greased baking sheets and cook in the centre of the oven for 12-14 minutes. Take out of the oven and leave to cool for a minute or two before lifting onto a wire tray. They are delicious eaten still warm from the oven but they taste good the next day too, should you have any left.
