Hobnobs

Jump to Recipe

Hobnobs are a classic, quintessential British biscuit; they are oaty, crispy, sweet, with a kick of salt, and can be served as they are or with a chocolate topping. Milk or dark chocolate, your choice. Utterly moreish, I have always loved these biscuits, but I buy them with caution. I simply can’t resist them. Serve with a cup of tea: this is non-negotiable.

When I saw this recipe for homemade hobnobs on-line, I set to immediately. They are divine and I’ve made numerous batches already. I gave most of them away because I couldn’t trust myself not to scoff the lot!

Where is this recipe from?

I saw this recipe on an insta post by Hebridean Baker. If you have yet to come across Coinneach MacLeod, I urge you to take a look. He is an international best-selling cookery book author from the Scottish Islands, and he shares fabulous bakes inspired by ‘family recipes, Scottish flavours and the myths & legends of the Hebrides.’ All beautifully photographed and filmed, he combines his love of food with stories and folklores from Scotland and his travels around the globe. His book, The Hebridean Baker at Home: Flavours & Folklore from the Scottish Islands, is available on Amazon. Unusually I made absoluetly no changes to the biscuit recipe, although I did choose milk over dark chocolate for the topping, purely based on my own personal preference.

How to make these incredible Hobnobs

Please see the printable Recipe Card below for the exact, yet condensed, quantities and instructions.

Collect all the ingredients together:

Hobnobs:

• unsalted butter, at room temperature. If you only have salted butter, reduce the salt slightly.
• light brown sugar. You can use caster sugar if you do not have any soft brown sugar.
• golden syrup. See below for tips on how to measure the golden syrup easily. It can be sticky and tricky.
• fine salt, ideally sea salt
• rolled porridge oats
• plain wholemeal flour, or use plain/all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• bicarbonate of soda

Topping:

• dark chocolate. I like 70% cocoa solids.
• unsalted butter
• sea salt flakes (optional) I love the salty kick you get from adding a wee pinch of sea salt flakes, but omit if you don’t fancy it.

or:

• milk chocolate, I use Cadburys dairy milk. Milk chocolate is naturally softer when set than dark chocolate so I find you don’t need to add any butter.
• sea salt flakes (optional)

How to make these fabulous biscuits:

1. Biscuits: it is important that the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat. If it is a little hard, beat it with a whisk before adding the other ingredients. If it is already quite soft, you do not need to do this. For more information on softening butter, see here.
2. Weigh the sugar, salt and golden syrup into a mixing bowl with the butter. Golden syrup can be tricky to work with. The easiest way to measure it, is to place a teaspoon into boiling water and then use the hot spoon to measure the syrup; the syrup should slip out easily. Beat well.
3. Weigh in the dry ingredients: the oats, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Fold in, until evenly mixed, being careful not to over-mix.
4. Use a 15ml tablespoon to measure the biscuits. You should make around 25 – 27. Roll in your hands to create neat ball shapes. Place spread out on baking parchment lined baking trays. I bake 5 – 6 per tray.
5. You can either:
   • flatten the balls with a palette knife, neaten the edges and bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave on the tray for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Or,
   • bake the balls in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 6 minutes, remove from the oven, flatten the balls with a palette knife and return to the oven for a further 5 – 6 minutes, or until golden brown. Flattening mid-bake will give you a thinner biscuit than flattening prior to baking.
   • NB These cooking times will give you a biscuit very slightly soft in the centre. If you prefer a crispier biscuit, cook for a little longer, to taste.
6. Chocolate topping: chop the chocolate, if necessary, and melt carefully (with the butter) in the microwave. (See Recipe Notes for details.)
7. Spread a layer of chocolate on the biscuits and leave to set a little for a few minutes. Use a fork to mark some lines in the chocolate and sprinkle a tiny pinch of sea salt flakes on each biscuit. Set aside to fully set.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.