Sunday 25 April 2021

Oat Biscuits With Apricot, Rosemary And White Chocolate

I have a friend: her name is Catherine and she's a wonderful artist.    And she has a friend who has a daughter who is a food blogger.  So of course I had to buy her new book Wild Sweetness (by Thalia Ho).  The subtitle is Recipes inspired by Nature, so there are interesting ingredients like rosemary in the biscuits I've made today.  

What is it about rosemary lately?  My poor little bush has been lurking in the garden, unloved for many a moon, and now suddenly I've used it twice in two weeks.  Excellent herb, of much determination and grit, always there with its robust smell and taste.  And perfect for this delicious oat biscuit as we reach Anzac Day for another year on April 25.  Google it, foreign friends, if you're interested in this oft-times emotional remembrance of our soldiers, past and present.


golden bites of white chocolate heaven

Makes 16 chunky little darlings

ingredients:


225g. of plain flour (1¾ cups + 1 tbs)

160g. (2 cups) rolled oats

1 tbs rosemary leaves, chopped

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

230g. (1 cup) butter, softened (not melted)

175g. (3/4 cup + 2 tbs) white or caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

zest of an orange

140g. (3/4 cup + 1 tbs) white chocolate, chopped into small pieces

85g. (1/2 cup) dried apricots, chopped into small pieces

sea salt flakes, for sprinkling on the top before baking


Method:


Whisk the flour, oats, rosemary, baking powder and salt in a large bowl till well-combined

Beat the butter and sugar together (in another bowl) till creamy - three minutes in a stand mixer or six minutes with handheld electric beaters

Now beat in the vanilla and orange zest

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and at a looooow speed, tip in the flour mixture till it is just combined with the creamed butter and sugar, and still a teensy bit floury

Then add the chocolate and apricots, and stir them in with vigour

Into the fridge the dough goes for half an hour, to chill

While the big chill happens, place your oven racks on the upper and lower thirds of the oven

Line two baking trays with baking paper, and turn your oven on to 180C/350F to warm up

Now grab the chilled dough, tip out onto a lightly-floured surface and pat into a 2.5cm/1 inch thick rectangle (or circle, no matter)

With your 6cm/2.5 inch biscuit/cookie cutter cut out beauteous, chunky, firm circles of dough and place them on the trays - leave a bit of room for each one to breathe and spread

Keep going till all the dough has been cut into circles (I had a bit of leftover dough so Mr P. ate it for me, being such a kind soul)

Sprinkle with sea salt, and bake for 16-18 minutes till light golden brown, making sure you swap the trays over halfway through the bake - i.e. top one on the bottom and bottom one on the top

Take 'em out, leave to cool for a few minutes, then let them cool completely on wire racks

Keep for a few days in an airtight container (not in the fridge)


Notes:


You may think 1 tbs of rosemary is too much, but it cooks out beautifully when the biscuits are done

Thalia says to use unsalted butter but I like my butter salted, so use whatever you prefer

Chop the white chocolate into small pieces so your dough doesn't fall apart (I used Lindt white chocolate) but use dark if you like

This is a dry dough that you'll think is not gonna work, but it does, my dears: as Thalia says, these are biscuits not cookies.  These are substantial, manly type fellas ...


ingredients gathered

creamy buttery zesty mixture

stir in the chocolate and apricots

slap your chilled dough onto a lightly-floured surface

there were two trays (honest) heading for the oven at 180C/350F

golden lovelies after 18 mins. - they weren't burnt, truly:-)

a plateful of lovelies

golden bites of salty chocolate pleasure


© Sherry M.


it's pinker in real life :-)



44 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, these look delicious!

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  2. I love woody herbs like rosemary and thyme. These biscuits look delicious. I love how chunky and thick they are. My husband is a huge fan of white chocolate and he definitely will love these for his breakfast.

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    1. yes rosemary is so pungent and wonderful. yep these are hearty fellas, chunky and delish! my hubby loves white chocolate too so he's a big fan.

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  3. these sound fantastic! BTW did you take the opportunity to wear some rosemary on your lapel today - I watched insiders this morning and was surprised to see them all wearing rosemary on their lapels.

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    1. i didn't wear rosemary cos I forgot! But it's great to see the newsreaders etc wearing it.

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  4. The dough really does look crubly, but the the result looks delicious.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  5. The flavors sound amazing and look very delicious. I do love herbs especially rosemary.

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  6. I like rosemary a lot, although not usually something I use in baked goods. Neat idea,though. These look excellent -- and I'll bet their aroma (and flavor!) is heavenly. Thanks.

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    1. i know what you mean KR! but it is surprisingly good in these biscuits.

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  7. I follow Thalia and her book looks lovely! As do these biscuits. Actually love rosemary and lemon together.

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    1. yes it is a lovely book and this recipe is fab. can't wait to try some more of them...

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  8. Our rosemary bush is going gangbusters, and I just love the aroma and the flavour of it.So these biscuits are definitely ones I would love to try, and I love that she calls them biscuits not cookies. Must look up this recipe book. Thanks for the recipe Sherry.

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  9. I do love using rosemary! I've tried a couple of times to get it to grow in the garden, but I think the New York winters are just too cold. It never comes back in the spring. Either way, this is a fun combination of sweet and savory together. Thanks for the book review, too, Sherry!

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    1. me too david. i think you're right about the cold. mine just keeps on growing even tho it is completely neglected. in fact i think this bush is not even the original one but an offshoot.

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  10. Love rosemary in sweet and savory dishes. Unfortunately, my plants never make it through the winter... Your biscuits look tasty!

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  11. Rosemary is an excellent herb but I have never tried it in a cookie or anything sweet. Was it good?

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    1. oh yes balvinder it was very good. such a great flavour esp. with the sea salt on top.

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  12. What an intriguing recipe! I’m very interested in this cookbook now as well. Thanks!

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    1. i am keen to try more of her recipes. this one was such a winner.

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  13. Ooo I love the combination of savoury herbs with fruit and sweet recipes. The combination of white chocolate, apricot, and rosemary sounds fantastic, and the cookies look delicious, too.

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    1. such a good idea to use rosemary here. they really were fabulous (she says modestly).

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  14. Great recipe. I keep hoping my rosemary plant will get huge like the ones in from of the coffee places. I was always snapping off pieces on the way in and use them for cooking.

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    1. my bush just keeps on keeping on. i've never looked after the poor neglected darling.

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  15. I'm intrigued by the biscuits that sound like a cookie yet have rosemary. 😊

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  16. They look delicious Sherry. Rosemary is one of my favourite herbs and grow it using it mainly for roasts xx

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    1. thanks M. yes we usually think of rosemary as a savoury addition don't we? but here it's fab.

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  17. This is something new to me, never I had tried rosemary on cookies. This must be really fragrant.

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  18. Fantastic combination! Love the rosemary!

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    1. thanks david! we have to thank thalia really:)

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  19. I wouldn't mind one of your little darlings right now, I've just made myself a cup of coffee. Saving this great recipe for my next bake.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. if only i could send you one down the ether amalia :) Hope you like them if you make them.

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  20. These biscuits looks scrumptious, texture and flavors sounds delicious, particularly those chocolate and apricots are so yum! I can eat these anytime, thanks for sharing it!

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  21. Om my gosh, these look right up my eat street! I have some rosemary that needs using so I'm definitely going to give these a go. Shouldn't have read this post first thing in the morning because now I want biscuits for breakfast!

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    1. yes these are good sammie. and the rosemary gives them such a great kick.

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  22. A sweet and savory biscuit that sounds absolutely wonderful. It's time to put some of my rosemary to use as well.

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    1. oh yes do try this MJ. the rosemary is very interesting.

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