Coffee Walnut Biscuit Squares

Something Sweet for a Break

9 small biscuit squares · Active 20 min · Total 2 hr 30 min

These chilled biscuit squares have a cocoa-and-coffee base with chopped walnuts for texture. Commercial plain biscuits provide the cooked crumb, so there is no raw flour to heat or bake. The mixture is pressed into a small pan and refrigerated until firm enough to cut. Use decaffeinated coffee if that is the flavor choice you prefer; the recipe makes no promise about a suitable time for caffeine.

Jump to ingredients

Chilled coffee walnut biscuit squares with a textured cocoa crumb.

Keep some crumbs coarse

Crush most biscuits finely but leave a few pea-sized pieces. That gives the finished square a more interesting bite than a completely smooth paste. Chop walnuts small enough that a square cuts cleanly. Dissolve instant coffee in the measured hot water before mixing so there are no bitter granules hidden in the crumb.

Firm means chilled through

The small amount of liquid softens the crumbs while melted butter sets around them. Press the mixture firmly into the lined pan, especially at the corners, and refrigerate for at least two hours. If the center still yields heavily when pressed, leave it longer. Use a sharp knife wiped between cuts; a serrated sawing motion can tear the soft crumb.

Ingredients

  • 6 oz plain digestive biscuits (170 g)
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (35 g)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter (55 g)
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (12 g)
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar (25 g)
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee or decaffeinated instant coffee
  • 2 tablespoons hot water (30 ml)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Set out

6-by-6-inch pan or food container, Baking paper, Small saucepan, Mixing bowl, Rolling pin or food processor for crumbs

Allergens

Wheat, Milk, Tree nuts. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Line the small pan with baking paper. Crush biscuits into mostly fine crumbs with a few small pieces and mix with walnuts.
  2. Dissolve coffee in hot water. Melt butter gently in the saucepan with cocoa and brown sugar, then stir in dissolved coffee and vanilla.
  3. Pour into the biscuit mixture and stir until evenly moistened. Press firmly into the pan.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm throughout. Lift out and cut into nine small squares. Keep chilled.

Small portions travel neatly

Separate cut squares with baking paper in a rigid container. One small square can be removed without warming and handling the whole batch at work.

A useful detail

Use plain biscuits rather than chocolate-coated ones; the latter change the balance of fat and sweetness.

Another way

  • Replace walnuts with chopped almonds, retaining the tree-nut allergen.
  • Omit coffee and use plain hot water with 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest for a cocoa-orange version.

Keep it well

Keep in a covered container at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Carry a portion chilled with the rest of a cold meal. The butter base softens in a warm bag.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mushrooms on Mustard Cream Toast

Image
After Sunrise 2 open-faced toast portions · Active 15 min · Total 25 min Skills: Easy Browned mushrooms on toast make a warm, savory meal with little preparation. A small amount of cream and mustard becomes a sauce in the same skillet, enough to coat the mushrooms without flooding the bread. Use toast with a firm surface and serve immediately. This is one of those dishes whose appeal depends on keeping a crisp base under a soft topping rather than making it long before it is eaten. Jump to ingredients Let the mushroom water leave Slice the mushrooms fairly thickly so they retain some substance. They will release liquid at first; keep cooking until that liquid evaporates and their edges begin to brown. Adding cream too early traps a pale, watery base. A broad skillet helps, and a little patience does more than extra seasoning. Make toast the last small task Have the bread ready, but toast it only once the mushroom sauce is nearly finished. A thin layer of butter is optional here and is...
Read more

Coconut Butter Bean Soup

Image
Cupboard Rescue Meals About 5 cups (1.2 liters) · Active 10 min · Total 30 min Skills: Easy Butter beans have a creamy center that suits a coconut soup without needing a blender. A spoonful mashed against the pan thickens the broth while the rest remain whole. Ginger, curry powder and lime give the soup definition; the flavor comes from a short, deliberate sequence rather than a long ingredient list. Jump to ingredients Bloom the spices gently Cook the onion until it softens before adding ginger and curry powder. The spices need only thirty seconds in the oil to become fragrant. Scorched curry powder tastes bitter, so have the stock ready to pour. The coconut milk goes in after the pan has been loosened with stock; it then simmers gently rather than frying on the bottom. A soup that fits a flask Whole butter beans are larger than lentils, so check that your food flask has a wide mouth. Mash a few beans if you want a thicker spoonful, but leave enough broth for the soup to pour easily....
Read more

Tomato Bulgur Soup with Tiny Beef Meatballs

Image
A Hot Meal to Carry About 9 cups (2.1 liters); 4 servings · Active 25 min · Total 1 hr Skills: Confident beginner Tiny meatballs make a tomato soup feel like a complete supper without requiring a knife or a second container. Bulgur thickens the broth as it cooks, and grated carrot softens into the tomato rather than adding large chunks. The meatballs are poached directly in the soup, so there is no tray of browned meat to manage. Keep them genuinely small: that is what makes the meal comfortable to eat from a flask. Jump to ingredients Make a mixture that stays tender Soak the breadcrumbs briefly in the beaten egg before mixing in the beef. Work with a fork or your fingertips and stop when the mixture holds together; kneading it hard produces dense little balls. Aim for twenty-four pieces of similar size. Damp hands help with shaping, and a plate gives you somewhere to hold the complete batch while the soup base cooks. Give the bulgur room to swell The dry grain looks modest when it e...
Read more