Peanut butter biscuits with a chocolate filling

Chewy, nutty and oaty, sandwiched together with a peanut butter ganache, these incredibly simple biscuits are certain to be devoured quickly.

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With just 5 ingredients for the biscuits themselves (the filling is optional!) and a mixture that is made up in seconds, this recipe is both quick and simple.

Think hobnobs with a peanutty vibe and a creamy chocolate filling

The filling – rich, chocolatey and creamy, with a gently peanut butter flavour (too much and everything gets a bit claggy in the mouth!) – is entirely optional: the biscuits by themselves are wonderful, but I like the touch of indulgence the ganache brings.

If you want to go dairy-free, replace the milk and butter with 100g coconut cream, and use a good dairy-free chocolate.

I’ve adapted a recipe from its appearance in the 1990s on a cookery slot on a lunchtime chat show….the source of a lot of ideas at the time!

For the peanut butter, use for a good variety that does not have added sugar and, ideally, no palm oil.

Recipe: peanut butter biscuits – makes about 10 filled biscuits (20 unfilled biscuits)

Biscuits:

• 100g porridge oats
• 100g crunchy peanut butter (without added sugar)
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 1 medium egg, no need to beat first
• 50g dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate chopped small

Chocolate peanut filling:

• 50ml any milk or alternative such as coconut, soya, almond…
• 50g unsalted butter
• 100g dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon of crunchy (or smooth) peanut butter
• a generous pinch of fine sea salt

(1) Preheat the oven to 160C (fan). Put the ingredients for the biscuits into a bowl and beat together with a wooden spoon until it comes together to a soft mixture.

(2) Take teaspoons of the mixture at a time and roll into balls. Put these a little apart on a baking tray lined with greaseproof or silicon, and either press down lightly with the back of the teaspoon or a finger to flatten a bit.

NB: if the mixture is sticking, wet the spoon/finger which will prevent the mixture from sticking further.

(3) Bake for 10-12 minutes until just golden brown and remove from the oven, leave on the tray for a couple of minutes before lifting off each biscuit carefully onto a cooling rack.

NB: if you want uniformly sized biscuits, as soon as they come out of the oven press a round cutter over each one – the excess trimmings are great to eat as the cook’s perk!

(4) For the filling, put the chocolate into a small bowl. Heat the milk and butter in a small pan until it just comes to the boil. Pour over the chocolate and peanut butter and leave for a few minutes before stirring to give a smooth glossy mixture. Chill until it holds its shape.

(5) Put about a teasooon of the filling over half of the biscuits and sandwich them together with the remaining biscuits.