Chocolate chip oat biscuits

Where have these biscuits been all my life?  They take the buttery deliciousness of shortbread and add an oaty crunch – imagine shortbread, crossed with hobnobs, with some chocolate chips added for good measure....yes, that good!

When I make these again (in about a day or two!) I will swap the chocolate chips for sultanas.  I’m a sultana addict and think they’ll work really well with the buttery oat texture.

I made these reasonably small – normally my biscuits could be used as dinner plates – and I advise you to do the same as the biscuit is densely textured and rich.  When I try and make small biscuits (i.e. normal sized) I start with good intentions then look at the tray when I’ve finished only to see the later biscuits are twice the size of the earlier ones...I can’t help myself!  So this time, I weighed the first ball of dough, and made sure all the others were the same (44g, if you’re interested).  For the first time ever I have created normal biscuits!

These are lovely warm from the oven (well, you have to check, don’t you?) and also lovely cold and crumbly.  For the work of minutes they are quite wonderful!

Ingredients

225g unsalted butter, at room temperature

110g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

275g plain flour

30g porridge oats

100g chocolate chips – I used milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Line two baking sheets with baking paper or non stick foil.

Beat the butter in a bowl until soft and whippy.

Beat in the sugar and vanilla.

Stir in the flour, oats and chocolate chips.

Take small balls of mix, roll then place on a baking sheet leaving about 1cm for spreading whilst baking.  I got 16 biscuits, each weighing 44g uncooked.

Flatten the balls.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden and starting to look biscuity at the edges.

Leave to cool on the baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

   Eat.