Bake Off Week 2 - Biscuits

Ah the dreaded biscuit. This and pastry week always leave me the hungriest and the most impressed. Any biscuits I make (as you will soon see) tend to turn out a bit hap hazard in size and colour…no one seems to care because it's still a cookie. But Paul and Mary see differently. Bit picky really. But ANYWAY! Biscuit week. I pulled out my Great British Bake Off: How to Bake book (by Linda Collister) and decided to attempt some Chocolate Crackles. 

Now fair warning before we start, the mixture needs an hour in the fridge so just bear that in mind!

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate 70% cocoa solids is best- milk chocolate makes them too sweet.

100g unsalted butter, softened by softened I assumed they meant a few seconds from melting.

150g light brown muscovado sugar

1 large, free range egg

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

175g self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2-3 tablespoon icing sugar

Prep a couple of baking sheets- either grease them or line them. This recipe apparently makes 30 cookies. I got 12 but I like a large biscuit…

1. Gently melt the chocolate- best way is in a bowl over a pan of boiling water but carefully watched in the microwave is fine too. When it's melted, add the soft butter. Stir until the mixture is completely smooth and then add the muscovado sugar. Leave the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.

2. Beat the egg with the vanilla until just combined, then add that to the bowl. Then sift in the flour and bicarb and mix like your life depends upon it. It's quite a sticky mix. Cover it with cling film and pop it in the fridge for about an hour.

3. This is your opportunity for bowl and spoon licking. Take it. It's a tasty raw mixture.

4. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Divide the dough into even sized portions and roll them into balls. Apprently 30 but we're not making toddler sized cakes, in the words of Joey what are you afraid you'll run out?! Cut me a real piece!! … anyway! I made 12 but I think 18 would be reasonable. Put your icing sugar into a shallow dish and roll each ball in it to coat thickly. Place them on the baking sheet spaced well apart. Now these things spread for miles. And I cannot stress this enough; DO NOT flatten these down. I did this and I ended up with extremely flat, albeit tasty, biscuits. I'd suggest the lightest of touches to flatten the base. then walk away!!

5. Bake for 10 minutes (watch them after 8) for a softer biscuit. 12 minutes for something crunchy. I went soft and they were yummy if i say so myself. Leave on the sheets to cool for a minute then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and they'll firm up as they cool. 

Now apparently these will keep for 5 days - they'll be lucky to last 2 in this house. Next time though, I need more icing sugar, smaller pieces and less flattening. Lessons learned!

Next week is bread week so I shall be flexing my muscles for that! 

Are you enjoying the bake off? Who are you rooting for?