These biscuits taste really crisp and chocolatey – even though they don’t contain any actual chocolate! They are ideal for lunchboxes and picnics.
Ingredients
1 x 5ml spoon sunflower oil for greasing
100g dried ready-to-eat apricots
100g unsaturated fat spread
50g light brown sugar
1 x 15ml spoon cocoa powder
100g self-raising flour
100g porridge oats
Equipment
Weighing scales
Baking tray x 2
Pastry brush
Baking parchment
Scissors
Measuring spoons
Medium saucepan
Wooden spoon
Pan stand
Sieve
Large mixing bowl
Teaspoon
Oven gloves
Palette knife or fish slice
Wire cooling rack
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan or gas mark 3.
- Grease the baking trays with a little oil, then line with baking parchment.
- Cut up the apricots into small currant-sized pieces.
- Put the spread and sugar into the saucepan. Gently melt the mixture, stirring continually, then remove from the heat.
- Sift the cocoa and flour into the bowl and mix in the porridge oats. Add these dry ingredients to the melted mixture together with the apricots and stir well.
- Using the teaspoon, take big teaspoon sized pieces and roll each into a ball with clean hands, then place on the tray and press flat. Leave a little space around each biscuit for the mixture to spread. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes until they are golden brown. The biscuits shouldn’t be dark brown so be careful not to cook them for longer than this time.
- Leave on the tray for 5 minutes to cool and firm up before removing with a palette knife and putting onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Skills used include:
Weighing, measuring, chopping, mixing/combining, sifting, baking and melting.
Top Tips
- Do not cook them for longer than 12-15 minutes as they will be too crispy and the apricots will harden.
- Check on the pack that the unsaturated fat spread is suitable for baking. Some unsaturated fat spreads contain a high proportion of water and are not suitable for baking or cooking.
Something to try next time
- Add 1 x 5ml spoon of mixed spice at step 5 if you like things spicy.
- Replace half the dried apricots with 50g of cranberries to make jewelled biscuits.
Prepare now, eat later
- Weigh and measure the cocoa, flour and porridge oats in advance and store in an airtight container for up to 48 hours.
- The crunchy biscuits will keep for a week in an airtight container
