Almond and Chocolate Chai Biscuits

These are the kind of biscuits that you really need to savour. Some mindful eating can be useful so you can truly enjoy each bite. Because THEY ARE SO GOOD!!!! The combination of warming chai spices, crunchy nuts and decadent chocolate makes these biscuits the ultimate winner.

One of the great things about these biscuits is they are dairy free and egg free, which makes them vegan friendly. They do contain gluten and nuts. On the topic of nuts, in this recipe I use a combination of almonds and cashews but you can easily substitute these for macadamia nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans or any combination of these that you prefer. If you were feeling a bit wild you could add some chopped dates to the mix too… I know…. wild!!!

It must be told that these biscuits also contain sugar! Yes, this is not, I repeat, not a health food option. You should definitely not consume these thinking that because they are vegan that they are “healthy”. You should, however, eat these biscuits knowing that they are delicious, decadent, downright fabulous biscuit. They should remain in their lane of “sweet treat” and should not enter the “whole foods healthy” lane. But we all know one thing, that a good biscuit and a hot cuppa can lift the spirits and put a smile on the face.

One of the delightful things about these chai spiced, crunchy nut, sweet chocolate biscuits is they make wonderful gifts. After you have let the batch cool, place a generous number in some cello bags and seal. Deliver these to your neighbours, loved ones, friends and kind folk who could use the magic of a sweet treat. During the festive season we make sure to cook extra and give them as gifts in home made food hampers. A bundle of home made chocolate biscuits is also a great birthday gift. Pour in a little bit of extra love and send some good vibes along with the biscuits too!

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. These biscuits are easy to make. There are a few ingredients because of the combination of nuts and spices, but these are often items already in the pantry. Sometimes I substitute the corn flour for chia seed gel. On the note of the chocolate, not all dark vegan chocolate will bake the same. Sweet William do a choc chip product that is suitable for baking. Other times I have shaved up a block of dark chocolate and stirred it through the biscuit dough. This will make the whole biscuit chocolate, and of course, so very yummy! Trial a few different types of chocolate to see what works best for you (yes, I can hear you saying “ok….well, if I have to……!”).

Without further ado, let’s cook biscuits! Please leave a review and ask any questions you may have. Enjoy!

Equipment

• Thermomix or Food Processor

• Baking tray

Ingredients

• 120 gm Almonds

• 45 gm Cashew Nuts

• 110 gm Coconut Sugar or Raw Sugar

• 70 gm Agave

• 125 gm Coconut Oil

• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

• ½ tsp Ground Cardamom

• ½ tsp Ground Ginger

• 1 pinch Ground Nutmeg

• 1 pinch Ground Clove

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract or Paste

• 2 tbs Corn flour

• 4 tsb water

• 185 gm Flour

• 3 tsp Baking powder

• 1 tsp Bicarb soda

• 160 gm Rolled Oats

• 150 gm Baking Chocolate Chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven 180° degrees.

• Line two baking trays with baking paper.

• Place almonds and cashews in food processor and blitz into small / medium chunks. (Thermomix 3 seconds, speed 7).

• Tip nuts into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

• Mix corn flour and water together in a small bowl.

• Into the food processor add sugar, agave, coconut oil, spices, vanilla and corn flour mix.

• Blitz for 5-10 seconds until combined (Thermomix 5 secs, speed 5). Alternatively, mix with hand beater in a mixing bowl.

• In a large bowl add flour, bicarb soda, baking powder and oats. Stir well.

• Transfer oil and spice mix to bowl and combine with flour mix.

• Stir in nuts and chocolate pieces.

• Use approx a tablespoon of mixture to create each biscuit. Form balls in your hand and press slightly down on each one when they are on the tray. If you are finding the mixture too crumbly (which can happen in colder weather) add 1 tablespoon of plant based milk, such as almond or rice.

• Bake one tray of biscuits at a time, until golden. 10 minutes in a fan forced oven or a few minutes longer as required.

• Transfer gently to a cooling rack, one at a time.

• Once cool transfer to an airtight container. They will store well for a few days.