Again with the “biscuits” instead of cookies. Am I making you cross-eyed yet? The thing is that I’ve adapted to so many Americanisms since moving to this side of the pond but Christmas is stuck in my bones. It’s what I grew up with. I can let go of some things, but Christmas chocolate biscuits with festive sprinkles is not one of them.
These are super simple to make and as Nigella says, meltingly gorgeous to eat. They’re dark, soft pillows of chocolate shortbread – thicker than any cookie or biscuit you’ll have had in a while and so very, very chocolate-y – I love them.
Brits call this kind of topping to a biscuit/cookie “icing”. There’s no butter involved as with American frosting, instead it’s usually made with icing/confectioner’s sugar and boiling water. It’s still a very sweet topping but less rich and of a thinner consistency. Quite delightful really.
Add a bit of a Christmas joy to your life with all those multi-coloured sprinkles and you’re good to go. Merry, merry!
Christmas Chocolate Biscuits
from Nigella Lawson
Ingredients
- 250g / 8.8oz soft butter
- 150g caster sugar / 5.3oz white sugar
- 40g / 1.4oz cocoa powder, sifted
- 300g plain flour / 10.6oz all purpose flour, sifted
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda /baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the topping:
- 2 x 15ml tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
- 175g icing sugar / 6.2oz confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 60ml/ 2fl oz boiling water, from a kettle
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Christmas sprinkles
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/350F and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or baking parchment.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture is soft and light. Add the cocoa powder and mix in. Add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and beat again until incorporated.
- Scoop up pieces of dough about the size of a large walnut and roll them into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs placing them well spaced on your baking sheet; you should get about 12 on at a time.
- Bake for 15 minutes (they might not look baked through but they’ll continue to cook as they cool). Remove the baking sheet to a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring the biscuits to a wire rack, with a sheet of newspaper under it (to catch drips while topping them).
To make the topping:
- Put the cocoa powder, icing sugar, water and vanilla extract into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything’s smoothly combined. Take off the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- When the biscuits are cool, drizzle each one with a tablespoonful of chocolate glaze using the back of the spoon to help spread the mixture, though an uneven dribbly look is part of their charm.
- After you’ve iced 6 biscuits, scatter with some of the Christmas sprinkles, and continue until all the biscuits are topped. If you ice them all before sprinkling, you will find the cocoa “glue” has dried and the sprinkles won’t stick on. Makes approx. 24.
Note: As I mentioned on this post, British measurements are listed first with American adaptations second. If you don’t own a measuring scale I highly recommend buying a cheap digital one so that you can weigh ingredients accurately for baking. Most have the option for grams and ounces. Here’s a reasonably priced option. Also, the argument for using a scale :)
