Monday 20 September 2010

SHF Chocolate Crackle Top Biscuits

I baked a batch of biscuits last week. It was my first foray into baking for weeks. I’ve been too busy cleaning muddy footprints off the rug, doing Christmas shopping (to send sea mail to family in the UK) and refereeing between cat and toddler. I finally found I needed to bake when I ate a supermarket cake and knew life is so much better than that.

I needed something simple and stumbled upon a recipe I had made a few times in my days before blogging. It was simple enough to make during Midsomer Murders and still follow the plot (though I once watched an episode and predicted everything that was going to happen so perhaps this is no recommendation!)

I think E must have been missing my home baking because he asked when the biscuits would be ready when the mixture was still firming up in the fridge. We both enjoyed a few warm bikkies while watching Inspector Barnaby solve the case! He is a clever old thing but can he explain why we say biscuits and Americans say cookies?

Not only are these biscuits easy but they also have a mysterious and delightful transformation during baking from round snowy white balls to flat discs that look like cracked earth in the desert. Not to be confused with the ubiquitous chocolate crackles of my childhood. They are soft inside with an intense chocolate flavour and the odd chunk of chocolate. Just the thing to eat with a cuppa in the evening.

I am sending these biscuits to Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen who is hosting Sugar High Friday #69. The theme is Bite Size Desserts. Sugar High Fridays is a sweet blog event founded by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: NCR Lemony Mediterranean Salad
This time two years ago: NCR: Spring Strawberry Soup


Chocolate Crackle Top Biscuits
From Super Food Ideas
makes about 24

  • 100g dark chocolate (I used 70% Lindt)
  • 50g butter
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • cup plain white flour
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp cocoa
  • ⅔ cup icing sugar
Melt 50g chocolate with the butter. Chop the remaining chocolate into chunks and set aside.

Whisk egg and brown sugar together until thickened. Add melted chocolate and butter. Stir in flour, baking powder and cocoa till combined. The mixture will be gloriously glossy. Mix in chocolate chunks.

Refridgerate bowl of mixture for about 1 hour or till batter firms up. Then place icing sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll heaped teaspoons into balls (about walnut sized) and toss in the icing sugar so they are well coated.

Arrange balls on greased or lined baking tray with plenty of space between them (I think I gave them about 5cm between them) because they will spread. Bake at 180 C for 12 minutes or until just hardened on top.

Cool on tray for about 10 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. I am not sure how long they last but I don’t imagine they will be around your kitchen too long. (NB Martha Stewart says up to 1 week.)

On the Stereo:
Wild Wood: Paul Weller

20 comments:

  1. Your chocolater bites looks delicate, I just love the way they've cracked at the top.

    I know what you mean, home-made is so much better. You really can taste the difference. BTW I think I may have made a mistake to agree to review some cookies on my site, wishing i hadn't now but must complete the task now. A lesson learned.

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  2. So, this is definitely in my top 5 favorite cookies, and they seem so simple! This recipe is definitely a must-try for me.

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  3. Oh my - I am not sure that I could have been trusted around that much chocolate ;)

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  4. these look fantastic Johanna!

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  5. These look great, Johanna! I've often been tempted to make these but I always chicken out because of the rolling in sugar step. I think I must be lazier than I realise ;)

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  6. WOWOW - those biscuits look amazing! Initially I was curious about the chocolate crackle connection, but I'm glad you didn't try bake them into a cookie cos that would be weird! (Or would it - hmmm...)

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  7. Paul Weller accompanied baking - nice :o)
    They look like real melt in the mouth morsels. In the mouth in one go, no messing!

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  8. What a fabulous entry, these look wonderful!

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  9. Thanks Madge

    Thanks Mango Cheeks - yes home made is so much better - I saw some small cakes today in a cafe and shuddered because I bought one recently and threw it out after one bite because it was so dry - that never happens with home made cakes fresh from the oven! Good luck with the cookie review

    Thanks Jodye - wow top 5 is impressive! but yes you should try them as they are really easy and yummy

    Thanks Lisa - hmmm I am not sure I can ever be trusted around lots of chocolate!

    Thanks Anh

    Thanks Hannah - the rolling in icing sugar is a cinch - just do it in front of the telly!

    Thanks Lisa - chocolate crackles in a cookie would be amusing - though the copha now horrifies me

    Thanks Nic - Paul Weller is a new arrival after E found a cheap tape in an op shop on our holiday to port fairy - was great driving music so has become a sentimental favourite

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  10. Thanks Nicsme - I am a fan of these biscuits because they look interesting with little effort on presentation!

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  11. They look lovely. Its one of my must bakes, which I haven't found time for yet!
    Thanks for sending them to SHF: Bite Size Desserts.

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  12. HI Johanna, these biscuits are on my list of things tried and not very successful. Will be trying this recipe, cooking biscuits is one of my favourite things, (and eating them of course).

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  13. Thank you for this nostalgia! My mum used to make those exact cookies (we called them "Surprise Crackles") and I just loved them. Haven't had them in years (okay, decades)--yours look great! I think I might even like the raw batter better than the cookies. ;)

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  14. Great name and lovely looking biscuits - on to my much abused list I think. Not sure I appreciated the reminder of Christmas though - sigh!

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  15. Thanks aparna - they don't take too long to make - hope you find time soon

    Thanks Deb - I love this recipe because is worked so well for me - good luck with trying again

    thanks Ricki - Surprise Crackles is a great name - and you are right that the mixture tastes wonderful

    Thanks Food Hunter

    Thanks Choclette - I wasn't happy at Christmas shopping so early but in the long run it is so much easier to get the surface mail for overseas Christmas presents - we can now forget about the festive season for a couple of months - ok?

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  16. wow!!! they look so inviting. A must bake:-)

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  17. I've made this kind of chocolate cookie before and I also loved how it cracks. Though I think I prefer your recipe to mine because you have chocolate chunks in yours mmm. I've never heard of chocolate crackles but those sound good too. Reminds me of one of my favourite Christmas treats that my grandma makes which are chocolate coconut snowballs. I should make those this year and post about them!

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  18. mmmm, I make a similar thing to these but with chili - they're so good! I bet yours are delicious too.

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