I stumbled across this recipe idea whilst making our version of twix chocolate bars. I actually found the biscuit base delicious on its own so saved some to make nutritious oaty biscuits for after school treats. As there was some melted chocolate leftover (and not liking to waste anything) I dipped the oaty biscuits in.

I can’t remember the last time I ate a chocolate hobnob, but I took one bite of these and was transported back to a comforting cup of tea and packet of biscuits. Quite a few biscuits later I sat back feeling very proud that this combination of nutritious ingredients had resulted in an accidental copy of what used to be one of my favourite snacks.

United Biscuits (who make hobnobs) have made efforts to clean up their ingredients; reducing trans fats, hydrogenated oil, artificial colours and lowering salt. This is all a good thing, but there are still two major nasty players left in the ingredients of hobnobs – vegetable oil and glucose-fructose syrup.

HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), is known as glucose fructose syrup in the UK and is made from corn starch. It is widely known as the most demonised additive known to man, or the devil’s candy.

It’s frequently used instead of beet and cane sugar (sucrose) as it’s cheaper to produce and easier to blend into food. It contains around the same number of calories as sugar but the body doesn’t metabolise the syrup in the same way and this is where the danger lies.

The problem is that glucose-fructose seems to trick the brain into thinking you need more food as it doesn’t produce the same insulin response as normal sugar. This is why you can go on to eat the whole packet and studies are repeatedly linking this syrup with the growing obesity epidemic. But it’s not just the impact on our waistlines that’s scary about this heavily processed syrup. Studies have shown it triggers the growth of fat cells around the heart, liver and other vital organs which can lead to liver disease, diabetes, and heart disease.

So the apparently healthy hobnob may not be all it seems despite being full of fibre and oaty goodness. But if you still want to indulge in a chocolate biscuit with your cuppa, give these balanced versions a try. They hit the spot in terms of satisfying sweet cravings but lack the addictive syrup which makes you binge.

hobnobs 5

 

Healthy hobnobs
Print Recipe
Each biscuit contains a healthy dose of omega 3 fats, protein, fibre and they are rich in antioxidants thanks to the nuts and dark chocolate.
Servings Prep Time
20 biscuits 15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
20 biscuits 15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Healthy hobnobs
Print Recipe
Each biscuit contains a healthy dose of omega 3 fats, protein, fibre and they are rich in antioxidants thanks to the nuts and dark chocolate.
Servings Prep Time
20 biscuits 15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
20 biscuits 15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, mix the seeds with the water and leave aside for 10 minutes to form a gel.
  2. Place the oats in a processor and blitz for a few seconds to make a flour but leaving some whole for added texture.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients (apart from the chocolate) to the processor and quickly blitz until all combined into a soft dough.
  4. Shape the dough into a ball and place between two sheets of baking paper. Flatten the dough and roll to a thickness of about 5 mm.
  5. Use a biscuit cutter to cut into desired shapes and place in a baking tray. Bake in the oven at 170 degrees for 25 minutes.
  6. Allow the biscuits to cool and meanwhile break the chocolate into smal pieces and melt them in a glass bowl over placed over a pan of boiling water (you only need an inch of water in the pan to create steam). Ensure that the glass bowl is big enough to prevent steam coming into contact with the chocolate.
  7. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and dip the top of each biscuit into the chocolate. Shake off any excess and place to cool and harden on a baking sheet.
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