Chocolate hazelnut biscuits

Tam West

These biscuits have a slightly crisp outer and are soft and chewy inside, almost brownie-like. Chewy or soft biscuits need to be removed from the oven before they look completely cooked — an idea that is a bit foreign to us but easy to get the hang of. These biscuits do continue to cook once out of the oven, just as meat does. For an attractive finish, sprinkle biscuits with a little vanilla sugar before baking.

Ingredients

125 g	Butter
50 g	Dark chocolate, good quality (Main)
1 cup	Soft brown sugar, lightly packed
2	Eggs, lightly beaten
1 ¼ cups	Plain flour
3 Tbsp	Dark cocoa powder
½ cup	Pecans, or use walnuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup	Toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped (Main)
½ cup	Sultanas
50 g	Dark chocolate bits (Main)
50 g	White chocolate, chopped (Main)

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water. (Take care not to let the water touch the base of the bowl or boil.) Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the sugar, then the eggs. Sift over the flour and cocoa powder. Stir in the nuts, sultanas, chocolate bits and white chocolate.
3. Place heaped teaspoonfuls (about 13) on a tray and place in the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining mixture and place in the oven after you have removed the first tray. (These biscuits don't really spread, but keep your teaspoonfuls of mixture heaped so you get the soft inner texture.)
4. Transfer biscuits to a wire cooling rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

More spring baking from Kathy

• Food processor almond cake with caramelised almond topping
• Belgian square