Spiced chocolate orange biscuits
These ‘drop’ biscuits are the perfect edible Christmas gift. We wanted to come up with something really festive tasting with these cookies, and the spicy, orangey flavour totally ticks the box. They’re also easy to make, no rolling out required, and a drizzle of dark chocolate makes them look and taste even more special.
Coat the underside in melted chocolate to make them more indulgent (it is Christmas after all).
Makes 18 biscuits
You will need:
- 1.5 cups ground almonds
- 1 cup rice flour (find it in the ‘Free From’ aisle)
- Large pinch of fine sea salt
- 170g unsalted quality butter, softened and cut into cubes
- 1/3 cup (80ml) brown rice syrup, honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Zest of 3 oranges
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 75g dark (85-90% cocoa) chocolate, broken into pieces
Method:
- Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
- Place the almonds, rice flour, salt and butter in food processor and blitz until the ingredients have come together to form a rough paste and all the butter is incorporated (you could also do this with your fingertips in a large bowl).
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the brown rice syrup/honey, eggs, orange zest and mixed spice until just combined.
- Line two baking trays with baking paper, then spoon even rounds of the mixture onto the trays (the mixture will be quite wet, but that’s ok). Cook for 20 mins, swapping the trays over half way to ensure they cook evenly, until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
- To cover in chocolate, melt the chocolate gently in microwave, or in a bowl over a pan of boiling water, then drizzle over the cooled cookies using a spoon. The chocolate will cool and harden in around 15 minutes. For an extra chocolately finish, once the chocolate has set, turn the cookies over and dip in melted chocolate to coat the other side.
NOTES
These biscuits can be stored an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.
We’ve experimenting using different flours in these biscuits but this is the combination we find works best. Buckwheat clashed with the orange and spices, and spelt was too heavy. The almond/rice flour mixture gives a light, slightly crunchy texture.
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