When I was in the hospital after giving birth, I found some biscuits in my travel bag. I was packing pretty early and it's easy to forget what you've put in there. The initial joy, that I found something good to eat after all the hospital diet, turned into a huge excitement! And the bag of biscuits was gone. They were SO GOOD, but what was interesting about them was that they actually were made with cocoa butter!
The cocoa butter gave them an incredibly delicate taste, and I've been thinking about them ever since. I love cocoa butter and use it most often to make chocolate coating or in beauty products (especially for creams and balms). However, I tried to bake with it for the first time and I must say with a huge success.
These chocolate biscuits made with cocoa butter are so easy to make, they are egg-free, baking agent-free, dairy-free, vegan and delicious!
I may be a little too excited about this for what are basically ordinary cocoa biscuits, but sometimes the simplest things are just the best.
What cocoa powder to use for chocolate biscuits made with cocoa butter?
It's just not that easy to buy cocoa these days, don't you think? There's a huge selection of them in the stores, so how do you choose the right one? These cookies are just great with any kind of cocoa (or cacao) powder! !
Dutch (processed) cocoa powder gives the biscuits a beautiful dark color and chocolate flavor, and natural (unprocessed) cocoa or cacao powder gives a lighter color but a subtle cacao flavor with a slightly citrus finish. This means that it will not color the biscuits so darkly, but will give a more interesting and less "typical" flavor. For me, natural cocoa powder wins due to its higher cocoa butter content and higher amount of health benefits.
If you want extra special dark chocolate biscuits, use black cocoa powder! It is a Dutch-style cocoa powder that has been processed for a longer period of time to achieve that dark black color. The result will resemble Oreo cookies (see the recipe for the filling at the end of the article in the TIPS section).
What is cocoa butter and where to find it?
Cocoa butter is a fat extracted from the roasted cocoa beans. It has a pale yellow color, a wonderful cocoa aroma and a solid consistency at room temperature. Cocoa butter is very easy to melt and it's worth stocking up on, as it's very resistant to rancidity and will be good for years! Cocoa butter can be found in powder, chips or chunks in specialized shops.
How to bake chocolate biscuits with cocoa butter?
First, heat the cocoa butter and coconut oil in a small saucepan. I like to use a combination of these two fats, but the recipe can also be made only with cocoa butter. However, the dough is then quite stiff and harder to work with, so I prefer this combination with coconut fat.
Meanwhile, into a large bowl weigh the syrup. It basically doesn't matter what kind of syrup you use, coconut, wheat, maple, date, agave syrup, chicory sweetener or even honey are all good choices! Whisk the room temperature melted fat into the syrup and then sift in the flour, cocoa and a pinch of salt. Mix with a wooden spoon to make a firm dough and then knead for a minute.
The dough does not need to be left to rest but you can add the dough in the fridge for 30-60 minutes if the fat was too hot and the dough is hard to work with. Roll the dough into about 4 mm thickness. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter ( I have a 4 cm diameter cookie cutter) and place the future biscuits in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Bake in a preheated oven to 170°C for about 5-7 minutes. We want the biscuits to dry so that they can crisp up. After baking, remove the biscuits to a cooling rack.
How to store chocolate biscuits with cocoa butter?
These biscuits have the benefit of being free from eggs, butter, raising agents or dairy products and so will keep for a very long time. Unfortunately, I haven't tested how long they last because they always get eaten right away in our house.
They should last at least two weeks in an airtight container and in a cool place. The biscuits are also suitable for storage in the freezer.
TIPS:
What to add to jazz up the chocolate biscuits?
- Add spices - cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, a pinch of chilli, star anise, cloves, ginger, gingerbread spice mix, chai spice mix,...
- grate the zest of a lemon or orange into the dough
- for a little bit more crunch try adding some finely ground coffee beans
- you can substitute some of the flour with nuts or sunflower seeds - very finely ground
- whole chia seeds can also be added
- you can also decorate the biscuits with melted dark chocolate
- add vanilla filling – to make OREO biscuits: just beat 100 g of room temperature butter with 200 g of icing sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth
Recipe
Recipe for 2 baking sheets
Ingredients:
- 250 g spelt flour
- 12 g cacao powder (Dutch processed, natural or black)
- pinch of salt
- 80 g cocoa butter
- 40 g coconut oil or butter
- 120 g syrup (maple, coconut, date syrup,..)
Instructions:
- Heat the cocoa butter and coconut oil in a small saucepan.
- Weigh the syrup into a large bowl and whisk the room temperature melted fat into the syrup.
- Then sift in the flour, cocoa and a pinch of salt. Mix with a wooden spoon to make a firm dough.
- Knead the dough on a clear surface for a minute and roll into 4 mm thickness. You can add the dough in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before rolling, if necessary.
- Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter ( I have a 4 cm diameter cookie cutter) and place the future biscuits in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
- Bake in a preheated oven to 170°C for about 5-7 minutes. We want the biscuits to dry so that they can crisp up.
- After baking, remove the biscuits to a cooling rack.
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