Recipe originally published June 2016. Updated and republished in April 2022.
Granny has this drawer in her kitchen. This particular drawer is quite special. It’s the drawer that if organised, could form an entire series of cookbooks. It could only be described as Granny’s Recipe Drawer. These Hungarian Chocolate Biscuits is one of – what is likely thousands! – recipes stashed away in that drawer.
Despite a bit of Googling, I can’t seem to find much information on the origin of these biscuits. I’m not sure if they are even native to Hungary! But Granny tells me she first came across this recipe when she was working one of her first jobs in a small café, local to where she grew up. These Hungarian Chocolate Biscuits were one of their big sellers, and with good reason.
Lovely little biscuits, both enjoyable with or without the butter cream filling – easy to make with ingredients you’ve likely already got in your cupboards!
This recipe is also a winner with kids, both for baking and for eating.
Ingredients:
Caster Sugar
Biscuits need a bit of sweetness and these Hungarian Chocolate Biscuits are no exception. Caster sugar is preferable over Granulated in most baking, due to it’s finer texture. You could try swapping for Golden Caster sugar for a more caramelised flavour.
Butter or Block Margarine
Either will do and it’s personal preference to which you choose. I opt for margarine as a way to omit the dairy but you can use any butter you have to hand. If using margarine however, be sure to use a block margarine as opposed to a soft spread – the latter will be too soft for using in biscuits.
Vanilla Extract
These biscuits do have a distinctively chocolatey taste but vanilla compliments that perfectly. Vanilla extract as opposed to essence is preferable, as it is made with real vanilla. Or if you want to be a bit extra, use a seeds straight from a vanilla pod!
Self-raising Flour
Hungarian Chocolate Biscuits are quite light in texture, due to them raising during baking and flattening back down again whilst cooling. The raising agent in the self-raising flour is what causes this, and without it they would be quite flat and more of a solid texture – not to mention more likely to spread too much whilst baking.
Hot Chocolate Powder
A little different than using the obvious cocoa powder, but the perfect ingredient for just the right amount of chocolatey-ness that these biscuits need. There are a lot of varying Hot Chocolate Powders available, many with added sweetness and milk.
Originally, Granny’s recipe uses the kind of Hot Chocolate Powder that you add milk too, as opposed to the now-popular option of Hot Chocolate Powders that you only add water; the former is preferable but the latter does work too, however the chocolate flavour is not quite as rich, due to the milk originally being part of the powdered mixture.
Our choice of Hot Chocolate Powder: Cadbury Drinking Hot Chocolate
Granny’s Top Tips
• If you prefer a stronger chocolate flavour, swap out the hot chocolate with cocoa powder.
• For a matching chocolate butter cream, replace 30g of icing sugar from the butter cream with 30g of drinking chocolate.
Ingredients
For the Biscuits
- 115 g Butter/Margarine (at room temperature)
- 50 g Caster Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 130 g Self-raising Flour
- 30 g Hot Chocolate Powder
For the Butter Cream
- 50 g Butter/Margarine (at room temperature)
- 100 g Icing Sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180°c (160°c for fan-assisted ovens or Gas Mark 4) and grease a couple of baking sheets with a little butter/margarine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter/margarine, sugar and vanilla extract, until light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the flour & drinking chocolate, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a paste.
- Divide into small balls (about a teaspoon-tablespoon per biscuit) and place onto your pre-greased baking sheet with a bit of space between them. Flatten each ball lightly with a fork.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes until the appear dry on top. Leave to cool a little on the baking sheets, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Mix the butter/margarine and icing sugar to form the butter cream. Once the biscuits are completely cool, pipe or spread a little butter cream onto half the biscuits and sandwich together with the other halves.
Just made these but used coco instead of drinking Chocolate. Lush, used to make similar with my children when they were younger (39 & 37 now ).
These biscuits are very easily made vegan and delicious too
Without wishing to sound rude, I wish I could go through your drawers! I hope someone offers you a book deal, it is lovely to see such good recipes as you have to offer
These are quite easy to make – and they taste like diabetes and euphoria. 10/10 recommend. Recipe yields 10 sandwich cookies if you make TBSP dough balls.
hi i have just tried this recipe and i really love the biscuits, tis is something i can have every day
Delicious. Used Cocoa powder instead. Maybe use half drinking chocolate and cocoa next time. Going to make some for our next W.I. Event.
Lovely, easy to make biscuit treat
I now make them with icing sugar for caster, and half drinking chocolate and half cornflour rather than just the chocolate. I like them better like that
These look so delicious, I will definitely try these this weekend. Thank you
5 o’clock tea time snack ? Check! I made these last week and oh my, great as a snack.