Here is a step by step tutorial with pictures showing you how to make Chocolate shortbread thumb biscuits.
Tip: Weigh out your 125 grams of unsalted butter and place on the kitchen side, 20-30 minutes before making this recipe in order for the butter to have completely softened and be at room temperature.
Preheat your oven to one of the following:-
Fan assisted: 150ºC
Regular oven: 160º/170ºC (Approx)
Fahrenheit: 300F
Gas Mark: 1
Ingredients:
125 grams / 4 oz Self Raising Flour
75 grams / 2.7 oz Unsalted Butter
25 grams / 1 oz Trex or White Vegetable Fat (Crisco USA)
50 grams / 2 oz Granulated Sugar
25 grams / 1 oz Cornflour
4 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
Topping:
125 grams / 4 oz Icing Sugar
50 grams / 2 oz Unsalted butter.
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1-2 Teaspoons of Milk or Warm water.
Smarties or Chocolate buttons to decorate.
Biscuit Method:
1. Lightly grease 1- 2 baking trays and cover with baking parchment, then place to one side.
2. Weigh out and sieve the flour into a mixing bowl.
3. Weigh out 75 grams of the pre-softened butter, cut into cubes, then place in the mixing bowl with your sifted flour. Place the remaining butter to one side as this is used for your topping. Weigh out your Trex or vegetable fat and add to the bowl.
4. Using your fingertips rub the flour, butter and trex together in between your fingertips until all the ingredients have combined and it looks like bread crumbs.
6. Now weigh out your sugar and then pour in the bowl, stir in using a fork.
7. Weigh out the cornflour and measure out the 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder, sieve into your mixing bowl, stir into the mixture using a wooden spoon.
8. Once your ingredients have bound together, then place your hand in the bowl and start pushing/squashing the ingredients together to form a dough.
9. Now scoop some of the mixtures into your hands and in a circular motion, roll them into a small ball size, similar to that of a table tennis or ping pong ball.
9. Once rolled place on the baking sheet on the tray and then squash down slightly using your thumb to make an indent.
10. Place roughly about 6 onto each tray and space them apart as the biscuits spread slightly whilst baking.
11. Bake in the preheated oven for approx 20-25 mins, I do mine for 23 mins.
12. Remove from the oven and lift the parchment paper from the baking tray and place onto a wire rack to allow the biscuits to cool. (In the event your biscuits break apart, they may need an extra minute in the oven.)
Topping Method:
1. Cut the remaining 50 grams of your pre-weighed butter into cubes and place in the bowl, add your tablespoon of cocoa powder.
2. Weigh out your icing sugar and sieve into your bowl.
3. Start mixing together using a wooden spoon.
4. Once the mix starts to bind together, add a little milk (a few drops no more than a teaspoon) to help wet the mixture a little and bind it together more.
5. Once it is combined, place a nozzle into a piping bag (I used a 1M nozzle) and then spoon the chocolate buttercream into a piping bag. If you do not have a nozzle simply fill the piping bag and then snip off the end.
Squeeze the chocolate buttercream down towards the nozzle (like you do when you're trying to get toothpaste out of the tube), and when it gets near the nozzle start to twist the top of the bag, this will hold the buttercream in place.
Tip: If your buttercream starts dripping out of the nozzle and you cannot stop it means your mixture is too soft, to help with this place in the fridge to make the mixture go a little colder and then try again after about 5 mins.
6. Holding the piping bag at a 90° angle, hold the wrapped bit of the bag in your left hand and then angle the bag with your right. Squeeze down and then bring the bag up slightly and release your grip. You should now have some chocolate buttercream on the top of your biscuit.
7. To finish off top with Smarties or a chocolate button.
Alternatively, you could pipe some buttercream in the centre of the base of the biscuit and then sandwich it together with another one. Effectively having a double chocolate biscuit.
These biscuits are best eaten on the day they are made however, they can be stored in a plastic tub topped with cling film or saran wrap.
Tip: Weigh out your 125 grams of unsalted butter and place on the kitchen side, 20-30 minutes before making this recipe in order for the butter to have completely softened and be at room temperature.
Preheat your oven to one of the following:-
Fan assisted: 150ºC
Regular oven: 160º/170ºC (Approx)
Fahrenheit: 300F
Gas Mark: 1
Ingredients:
125 grams / 4 oz Self Raising Flour
75 grams / 2.7 oz Unsalted Butter
25 grams / 1 oz Trex or White Vegetable Fat (Crisco USA)
50 grams / 2 oz Granulated Sugar
25 grams / 1 oz Cornflour
4 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
Topping:
125 grams / 4 oz Icing Sugar
50 grams / 2 oz Unsalted butter.
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1-2 Teaspoons of Milk or Warm water.
Smarties or Chocolate buttons to decorate.
Biscuit Method:
1. Lightly grease 1- 2 baking trays and cover with baking parchment, then place to one side.
2. Weigh out and sieve the flour into a mixing bowl.
3. Weigh out 75 grams of the pre-softened butter, cut into cubes, then place in the mixing bowl with your sifted flour. Place the remaining butter to one side as this is used for your topping. Weigh out your Trex or vegetable fat and add to the bowl.
4. Using your fingertips rub the flour, butter and trex together in between your fingertips until all the ingredients have combined and it looks like bread crumbs.
6. Now weigh out your sugar and then pour in the bowl, stir in using a fork.
7. Weigh out the cornflour and measure out the 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder, sieve into your mixing bowl, stir into the mixture using a wooden spoon.
8. Once your ingredients have bound together, then place your hand in the bowl and start pushing/squashing the ingredients together to form a dough.
9. Now scoop some of the mixtures into your hands and in a circular motion, roll them into a small ball size, similar to that of a table tennis or ping pong ball.
9. Once rolled place on the baking sheet on the tray and then squash down slightly using your thumb to make an indent.
10. Place roughly about 6 onto each tray and space them apart as the biscuits spread slightly whilst baking.
11. Bake in the preheated oven for approx 20-25 mins, I do mine for 23 mins.
12. Remove from the oven and lift the parchment paper from the baking tray and place onto a wire rack to allow the biscuits to cool. (In the event your biscuits break apart, they may need an extra minute in the oven.)
Topping Method:
1. Cut the remaining 50 grams of your pre-weighed butter into cubes and place in the bowl, add your tablespoon of cocoa powder.
2. Weigh out your icing sugar and sieve into your bowl.
3. Start mixing together using a wooden spoon.
4. Once the mix starts to bind together, add a little milk (a few drops no more than a teaspoon) to help wet the mixture a little and bind it together more.
5. Once it is combined, place a nozzle into a piping bag (I used a 1M nozzle) and then spoon the chocolate buttercream into a piping bag. If you do not have a nozzle simply fill the piping bag and then snip off the end.
Squeeze the chocolate buttercream down towards the nozzle (like you do when you're trying to get toothpaste out of the tube), and when it gets near the nozzle start to twist the top of the bag, this will hold the buttercream in place.
Tip: If your buttercream starts dripping out of the nozzle and you cannot stop it means your mixture is too soft, to help with this place in the fridge to make the mixture go a little colder and then try again after about 5 mins.
6. Holding the piping bag at a 90° angle, hold the wrapped bit of the bag in your left hand and then angle the bag with your right. Squeeze down and then bring the bag up slightly and release your grip. You should now have some chocolate buttercream on the top of your biscuit.
7. To finish off top with Smarties or a chocolate button.
Alternatively, you could pipe some buttercream in the centre of the base of the biscuit and then sandwich it together with another one. Effectively having a double chocolate biscuit.
These biscuits are best eaten on the day they are made however, they can be stored in a plastic tub topped with cling film or saran wrap.
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