Granny Boyd's Biscuits

Normally biscuit and cake making is a mid-morning or afternoon thing in our house. That was until I suddenly remembered at 6.45am this morning that there was a cake sale at F's school today, to raise money for the Haiti earthquake. 

I really wanted to contribute, which is how I was ended up baking at 7am, whilst also sorting out breakfast! (I was very annoyed with myself as school had been cancelled on Thursday because of the snow we had falling over Whitstable and some other parts of Kent on Wednesday night - so I'd  had a day at home with the kids when we could have baked in less of a rush if my brain had been in gear!)

I decided cakes were out of the question as they would take too long to cool and ice etc, so I decided to make some biscuits...Granny Boyd's Biscuits to be exact!  They are a Nigella recipe and the most delicious, chocolate biscuits I have ever tasted! I only discovered them when borrowing my neighbour Vicki's Nigella Christtmas book as I wanted to give some chocolates and biscuits as christmas pressies last year (which they are perfect for, wrapped in clear plastic and a ribbon).

I am sure I am about a hundred years behind and everyone already knows about these but just in case you hadn't seen the recipe and fancied baking this weekend, I would recommend giving these a try (they are incredibly easy!):

Granny Boyd's Biscuits
Ingredients
300g self-raising flour
30g cocoa
250g soft unsalted butter
125g caster sugar
2 baking sheets, greased

Preheat oven to 170c

Sieve together flour and cocoa and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and soft, then work in  flour and cocoa.
It might look as if it needs liquid, but keep working ingredients and they will form a dough.
Roll into walnut sized balls and arranged with decent size space as they will spread.

Press down with the back of a fork, leaving fork marks.
Put in the oven and cook for 5 minutes then turn oven down to 150c and bake for a further 10-15minutes.
Makes approx 35 biscuits

I think they are lovely with a cuppa, still warm from the oven but also good for a couple of days.
Or have, as Nigella suggests, with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream....

Yum!