The best shortbread biscuit balls with chocolate middles
These delicious, scrumptious, and highly addictive little shortbread biscuit balls with chocolate in the middle are one of my favourite biscuit recipes. They are such a hit with everyone.
I have had this recipe on my ‘to-bake list for over a year and since I first tasted them at my friend Peter Church’s book launch. He is the author of two books. The first is ‘Dark Video’, and the second ‘A Bitter Pill’ – both edgy thrillers set in and around Cape Town, and worth a read if you haven’t already.
You find the best recipes in the most interesting places.
After biting into these soft and crumbly shortbread biscuits and then experiencing the unexpected joy of finding a lump of chocolate in the middle, I was sent directly to food heaven.
I hunted the recipe down. I took a photo of the recipe. I lost the photo of the recipe. I had to hunt it down again.
The recipe came from one of Peter’s children’s school cookbooks. The ones where various parents contribute their favourite recipe. You know the ones? I totally love these books because people always put their best tried-and-tested recipes forward.
I used some Cadbury’s milk chocolate and some Valrhona Guanja which gives these biscuits a more sophisticated taste. Use whatever chocolate you prefer. Be careful not to overbake these and to keep them quite pale in colour. The sugar quantity seems quite little but the cookies are dusted in a lot so they are sweet enough.
Seriously these are THE most awesome biscuits and that is all I am going to say about that.
You may also like these biscuit recipes:
Whipped vanilla shortbread (my other favourite biscuit/cookie)
The best shortbread mince pie crumble cookies
Gooey oat, fruit & nut bars with dark chocolate
Expresso chocolate chip cookies
Recipe – makes about 25
shortbread biscuit balls with chocolate middles
Ingredients
- 210 g butter
- 4 teaspoons caster sugar and extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon boiling water
- 250 g flour
- 200 g slab of chocolate cut into half blocks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C. Mix the butter, sugar, and water until combined. Add the flour and mix. Wrap some of the dough mixture around each half block of chocolate. This is a fairly tricky task and would be helpful if you got others to help.
- Bake on a lined baking tray for 20 minutes. They don’t need to go too golden. Roll in caster sugar and allow to cool.
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My grandmother made these once when I was little and I’ve always remembered them and wanted more, but never could find a recipe…till now! Definitely making them tonight. Thank you!!!
Pleasure Emma – they are addictive – be warned.
YUM. What a lovely, easy recipe. Definitely baking these soon.
Perhaps a run first.
Ha ha Victoria – defs a run before 🙂
Oh Wow thank you… Looks Amazing… Will need to try… BTW the man is contemplating banning me from your blog… ;-( lol…
Dear Flee’s man. Please don’t ban Flee from Drizzle and Dip.
Thank you!
Sam
Thanks.. I hav e sent your request on to the “powers that be”… LOL… Have a stunning Friday and weekend 🙂
I can ill afford to add another addictive recipe to my collection and yet I have. Thank you for sharing Sam 😉
This is a keeper and one for the “hips”. In need of comfort food the weekend and going to try this one for sure 🙂 Thank you
Tami, you could wait a year like I did to make them 🙂
Thanks Lunette – a total keeper.
Shortbread and chocolate!? What a delicious combination! I will be making this soon! Just one question: Is it 1 teaspoon water (5ml) and only 4 teaspoons (20ml) sugar?
They look devine, defnitely making them TODAY!! Just one ?…is 1t water and 4t castor sugar teaspoon or tablespoon? Wanna be sure they are perfect…;)
Hi Elri – yes its 1 tsp hot water and 4 t caster sugar (you add quite a lot when you roll them so they are sweet enough)
shortbread cookies AND chocolate?? YUM!! Thanks!
Could I perhaps swap the hot water for milk instead? Thanks x
Hi Sen, I am sure the hot milk will work (why though) – as its such a small amount.
oh my, I just have to make these! love shortbread. youve got a beautiful blog here, fantastic pictures! I’ve nominated you for the versatile blogger awards, as your blog continues to impress me. Must try out a few of these goddam gorgeous bites!
Thank you Louise that is very kind of you :-). Let me know what you think of these cookies when you’ve made them.
Oh thank you for posting this recipe! I received some of these (store made) as a gift and found them to be so delightful. I’m definitely making some homemade ones in the near future. It really is such an “unexpected joy” to find that lump of chocolate in the middle of the cookie!
Hi Jessica, it really is isn’t it, I totally love these biscuits.
Hi Sam. Sorry to get technical, but when you say “mix” do you mean hand mix with a spoon / whisk or can the mixing be done in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment? Also, I presume that the butter must be pretty soft? These look so divine that I have to try and make them this weekend! I think they will be the perfect Christmas nibbles to have on holiday with us. Thanks. Kim
Hi Kim, you can just mix this using a wooden spoon by hand (or any spoon you prefer) – it is not necessary to use a stand mixer. These are like shortbread. You could use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you prefer. Butter is at room temp so it will be soft enough to work with, not melted soft. I always bake with butter at room temp.
WHERE ARE THE INGEDIENTS AND METOD? I DOUBLE CLICKED AND…NOTHING….Am I doing something \\rong???
Hi carol, Im really not sure what you are on about, the ingredients are listed as is the method? What do you mean double click? If you want to print this recipe, simply copy and past it int a word document and print it.
Thanks
sam
Hi Sam,
I have been eyeing these little cookies for a while. So I decided to make them for my children’s pre-school teachers to say thank you for what they have done through the year. And what an amasement. They are super fast to make and super-super yummy to eat. There were 5 teachers, so the majority went to them, but I managed so sample a few. Soooo addictive. Thanks for the great work you do. Just a note to me, next time I will rather use 1 teaspoon of water instead of tablespoon. Were not too sure which one it should have been, but still they were awesome.
HI Tania, glad you enjoyed. yes the recipe is 1 teaspoon (little t). T = tablespoon in my recipes.
Oh my goodness! Made these last night and they were demolished with seconds when I got to the office. Words like “heaven in my mouth” were uttered!
Arent they just the living best.
Hi Sam, who long would these keep? Looking to bake them in advance for Christmas.
Hi Kelsey – I haven’t done an extensive shelf-life test as they only lost like 3 minutes around here – but id say 2-3 weeks should be fine (and good luck with that 🙂 They are THE BEST!
Just made these and it is currently cooling off. Whole kitchen smells divine, everyone is eargerly waiting to taste.
I hope you love them as much as I do