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This chocolate Hobnobs recipe is a copycat of a classic British biscuit. These crunchy oat cookies are subtly sweet with a nutty toasted oat + rich buttery caramel flavor.
What Are Hobnobs?
You might be wondering what the heck are Hobnob biscuits.
For starters, let’s talk about the word biscuit. Here in the U.S., it means something completely different than it does across the pond!
American biscuits are often fluffy or flaky, and come in a variety of forms, such as drop biscuits, rolled biscuits, buttermilk biscuits, etc. Actually, American biscuits are similar to scones in England.
On the other hand, British biscuits are what we think of as crispy cookies (if they’re sweet) or crackers (if they’re savory).
A Hobnob is a type of sweet British biscuits, essentially crunchy oat cookies, with a subtle sweetness and rich buttery flavor.
Hobnobs is a brand name of commercial biscuits made by McVitie’s. As per Wikipedia, the name comes from the verb ‘to hobnob’, meaning to socialize with someone of a high social status.
Golden syrup, an invert sugar syrup that’s similar to corn syrup, helps prevent sugar crystallization and adds a deliciously buttery caramelized sugar flavor that makes these cookies unique.
This is a simple cookie that’s delicious on its own, or of course with a cup of tea, coffee, or milk. And to make things fun, it comes in a variety of flavors, with chocolate being a popular one.
If you enjoy crispy oatmeal cookies, you’re going to love this recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Hobnobs Recipe
- The flavor – Instead of being overly sweet like many American cookies are, these British biscuits are subtly sweet with a rich, buttery, toasted caramel vanilla flavor. You get to enjoy so many more flavor nuances than just pure sweetness. In addition to dessert, these make a great after-school snack or afternoon pick-me-up.
- Minimal ingredients – With just a handful of ingredients, you probably already have everything on hand (except maybe the golden syrup) to make these cookies. You can easily find golden syrup on Amazon, at local British markets, or in the international foods aisle at your local grocery store – or substitute with a common ingredient like honey or simple syrup.
- Quick and easy to make – The process is easy, and this recipe whips up in less than an hour.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Old-fashioned rolled oats – Use old-fashioned rolled oats here, not instant or quick-cooking oats. We pulse them in a food processor 3 times to get the perfect texture (but don’t over-do it, or your cookies won’t be crunchy!).
- Unsalted butter – These subtly sweet cookies are rich and buttery. In addition to flavor, butter helps make these cookies crunchy. Instead of unsalted butter, you can use salted butter and omit the added salt.
- Golden syrup – Golden syrup (or light treacle) is a light amber-colored inverted sugar syrup that’s about as thick as honey. It’s a byproduct of refining sugar cane or sugar beet juice into regular table sugar (aka sucrose). It has a delicious buttery caramel flavor that reminds me of toasted marshmallows. You can find golden syrup on Amazon, and I recommend it here for its unique flavor. However, in a pinch you can substitute golden syrup 1:1 for maple syrup, honey, or simple syrup in this recipe.
- Golden caster sugar – This is the unrefined version of regular caster sugar (aka “superfine sugar”). I like using golden caster sugar here to bump up the caramel notes; however, regular caster sugar will also work well. If you don’t have caster sugar, you can pulse regular granulated white sugar in a food processor or blender a few times until it’s finely ground. But don’t go too long or you’ll end up with powdered sugar!
- Vanilla extract – For flavor and aroma.
- Flour – Use regular all-purpose flour here.
- Baking powder and baking soda – These are leavening agents that help us achieve the perfect texture.
- Salt – To make sure our cookies aren’t bland.
- Cinnamon – Just a touch of cinnamon adds depth of flavor that pairs beautifully with golden syrup and buttery oats. However, the cinnamon is optional, so feel free to omit it.
- Good-quality milk chocolate or dark chocolate – This is optional; these biscuits are just as delicious without chocolate.
Instructions
To prep, preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper. Pulse the oats 3 times (for 1 second each pulse) in a food processor (don’t overdo it!).
- Melt together the butter and golden syrup in a large microwave-safe bowl or in a double boiler, whisking to combine. Whisk in the golden caster sugar until the mixture is thick and glossy (if it’s not turning thick and glossy, heat it briefly in microwave or double boiler after adding the sugar, but don’t overdo it). Whisk in the vanilla.
- Add the pulsed oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using) to the bowl with the butter mixture.
- Stir to combine (the cookie dough will seem a bit gritty and dense; which is normal).
- Use a 1.5-tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough (slightly compacting the dough into the scoop when you measure), and roll each into a ball (compact the dough with your hands as you roll it so it forms a nice round shape).
- Arrange the dough balls spaced evenly apart on the baking trays. Slightly flatten each dough ball. Bake until the cookies are golden to your liking, about 14 to 16 minutes.
- For more rounded cookies, as soon as the cookies are out of the oven, place a 4-inch round ring (you can use a bowl, large glass, cookie cutter, etc.) around 1 cookie at a time. Gently roll the ring around so that the sides of the cookie flatten against the ring.
Chocolate is optional! If you want to coat the bottoms in chocolate, let the cookies cool completely (about 20 minutes). Once cool, melt the chocolate and spread it evenly across the bottom of each cookie. Let the chocolate set before serving.
Storage
Once the chocolate is set, you can layer the cookies in a cookie tin between pieces of wax paper or parchment paper. (If you skip the chocolate bottoms, you don’t need to layer them between pieces of paper.) Store them like this at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Tips
- When you pulse the oats, three pulses (with 1 second per pulse) really is perfect. Don’t be tempted to overdo it because your cookies can turn out more cakey than crispy!
- During the scooping and rolling process, work a little quickly with the dough. As it cools, it has the tendency to be a bit harder to work with.
- Chewy or crispy, it’s up to you! If you like your cookies on the chewier side of crispy (think chewy in the middle and crispy along the outside), then about 13 to 14 minutes in the oven is good. I prefer these a bit crispier throughout, so I bake them around 16 minutes.
- For more perfectly rounded cookies, as soon as the cookies are out of the oven, place a 4-inch round ring (you can use a bowl, large glass, cookie cutter, etc.) around 1 cookie at a time. Gently roll the ring around so that the sides of the cookie flatten against the ring.
- The chocolate bottoms are completely optional here! If I’m being honest, although the chocolate makes these extra pretty, I actually prefer these cookies without it. I find the strong flavor of chocolate overwhelms the nuanced flavor of these cookies. Without the chocolate, the flavor notes of buttery caramel and toasted oats really shine through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both are types of British biscuits (essentially what we’d think of as crisp cookies here in the U.S.).
Both types of biscuit have a subtle sweetness, and are much less sweet than typical American cookies. Hob Nobs are made with oats, while Digestives (also called Digestive biscuits) are made with whole wheat flour. Although they’re a bit thicker, Digestives are similar in texture and flavor to American graham crackers.
Hobnobs hail from the United Kingdom, while Anzac biscuits (which is an acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) are from Australia.
Despite different names and countries of origin, these biscuits are very similar! In my research, the main difference I found is that Anzac biscuit dough also contains coconut.
More Classic British Desserts to Make
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Hobnobs Recipe
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Ingredients
- 125 grams old-fashioned rolled oats 125 grams is about 1 1/4 cups
- 125 grams unsalted butter 125 grams is about 8 1/2 tablespoons
- 20 grams golden syrup 20 grams is about 1 tablespoon (see Notes for substitution ideas)
- 125 grams golden caster sugar 125 grams is about 1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons (see Notes for substitution ideas)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 125 grams all-purpose flour 125 grams is about 1 cup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 125 grams good-quality milk chocolate or dark chocolate (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper.
- Pulse the oats 3 times (for 1 second each pulse) in a food processor (don’t overdo it!).
- Melt together the butter and golden syrup in a large microwave-safe bowl or in a double boiler, whisking to combine. Whisk in the golden caster sugar until the mixture is thick and glossy (if it’s not turning thick and glossy, heat it briefly in microwave or double boiler after adding the sugar, but don’t overdo it). Whisk in the vanilla.
- Add the pulsed oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using) to the bowl with the butter mixture. Stir to combine (the cookie dough will seem a bit gritty and dense; which is normal).
- Use a 1.5-tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough (slightly compacting the dough into the scoop when you measure), and roll each into a ball (compact the dough with your hands as you roll it so it forms a nice round shape).
- Arrange the dough balls spaced evenly apart on the baking trays. Slightly flatten each dough ball. Bake until the cookies are golden to your liking, about 14 to 16 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool completely (about 20 minutes). Once cool, melt the chocolate and spread it evenly across the bottom of each cookie.
- Let the chocolate set before serving.
Notes
- Golden Syrup Substitute: You can easily find golden syrup on Amazon, at local British markets, or in the international foods aisle at your local grocery store. However, in a pinch you can substitute golden syrup 1:1 for maple syrup, honey, or simple syrup in this recipe.
- Golden Caster Sugar Substitute: If you don’t have golden caster sugar, then regular caster sugar (aka “superfine sugar”) will also work well. And if you don’t have regular caster sugar, you can pulse regular granulated white sugar in a food processor or blender a few times until it’s finely ground. But don’t go too long or you’ll end up with powdered sugar!
- For More Perfectly Rounded Cookies: As soon as the cookies are out of the oven, place a 4-inch round ring (you can use a bowl, large glass, cookie cutter, etc.) around 1 cookie at a time. Gently roll the ring around so that the sides of the cookie flatten against the ring.
- Storage: Once the chocolate is set, you can layer the cookies in a cookie tin between pieces of wax paper or parchment paper. (If you skip the chocolate bottoms, you don’t need to layer them between pieces of paper.) Store them like this at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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