Digestive Biscuits
Ask anyone who comes from the UK what the nation’s most popular teatime cookie is and they will most likely give you the same answer: digestive biscuits. They are certainly one of my favorite cookies. And what I love most about them is that they are easy to make at home!
I recently started making my own digestive biscuits and now I don’t think I will ever buy them again. They don’t take much time to make and the ingredients are so simple you could probably whip up a batch right now. For me, anything made at home is better and these classic cookies are no exception. While the commercial brands use palm oil, this recipe uses butter for an even more wholesome, rich taste.
What Ingredients Do I Need for Digestive Biscuits?
The main ingredient in digestive biscuits is whole wheat flour. You can optionally add oats (which you need to grind into a flour) or oat flour, but this is entirely your choice. The oat flour adds a little texture and flavor, but your biscuits turn out just as delicious with just whole wheat flour.
You will also need a little brown sugar. Some recipes call for just regular granulated sugar or even confectioner’s sugar, but brown sugar gives a slightly more caramel taste I prefer. A little baking soda helps with leavening and salt boosts all the flavors. Butter adds both flavor and crisp texture and a little milk binds the dough together.
For a decadent finish, you can dip one side of your baked digestive biscuits into some melted chocolate. This gives your cookie a chocolate bar like feel that takes them to a new level.
Can I Use All Purpose Flour?
You must use whole wheat flour to make real digestive biscuits. All purpose flour has the bran and wheat kernels removed so it won’t deliver that authentic digestive biscuit texture. You will still end up with a perfectly tasty cookie, but it will not be a digestive biscuit.
How Long Can I Store Digestive Biscuits?
You can store your homemade digestive biscuits in a cool dry place in an airtight container for up to 1 month. They will last even longer, but you may notice that they won’t taste as fresh and they may lose some of their crispness.
If you love digestive biscuits as much as I do, give this recipe a try! You will love them any time of the day with coffee, tea or just as a snack. And when you do make them, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how they turned out for you!
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Digestive Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup rolled oats, quick or regular slightly heaping
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Add rolled oats to a grinder and pulse to a flour consistency. (Measuring the oats so the cup is slightly heaping makes up for reduced volume after grinding.) In a large bowl combine whole wheat flour, ground oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix together well.
- Cut butter into pieces and add to the dry mixture. Cut in with a pastry blender, 2 knives or even your fingertips. Incorporate butter until evenly distributed and the mixture looks sandy.
- Gradually add milk, starting with 2 tablespoons. Stir so the mixture begins to come together. (You must use your hands to start incorporating the milk to get an accurate feel for the dough.) Add only enough milk necessary to barely form a dough. You do not want the dough to be too sticky.
- As soon as the dough comes together, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, pat dough into a ball and sprinkle on a little more flour. Roll the dough to a thickness of around a ¼ inch. Using a 2½ inch round biscuit cutter, cut out rounds and place them evenly on the baking sheets. (You should get around 16-18 biscuits.)
- Using the pointed end of a chopstick or the flat end of a wooden skewer, punch holes on the surface of each biscuit. Getting them in a consistent pattern will make them look uniform. Bake biscuits for 15-18 minutes or until the edges and bottoms look lightly golden.
- Cool biscuits on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.