Homemade Hobnobs, So Easy!

Making hobnobs doesn’t have to be hard, or to take long – and this great hobnob recipe seems to work every time.

I always add in extra bits and pieces that I have available, or have bought in specially.  e.g chopped glace cherries, dessicated coconut, sultanas.  I’ve even used Jordans oats before, and Dorset cereals, which already have a selection of ingredients in them (such as apples, pineapple, fruit, etc).  Here’s a simple hobnobs recipe, with the minimum of ingredients – no need to go out to the shops any more, just keep this recipe for hobnobs bookmarked!

Ingredients

• 250 grams of Self Raising flour (8oz, 2 cups)
• 250 grams  sugar, whatever sugar you have to hand
• 250 grams of porridge oats, or Cereal Oats with other ingredients mixed in (such as Dorset Cereals, or Jordans)
• 250 grams margarine, or butter
• 1½ tablespoons of golden syrup
• 1 tablespoon of hot water
• ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• Add in any other ingredients you want in your hobnobs, in any quantities.  e.g. sultanas, cherries.  You don’t have to add anything if you don’t want to.

Hobnobs Recipe Method:

1. Using a large mixing bowl, simply combine all the dry ingredients, plus any additional goodies you’re chucking in.  Melt the margarine, golden syrup and hot water, you can do this in a microwave or in a saucepan. Stir the bicarbonate of soda into the wet mixture, then add it all to the bowl of dry mix.
2. Mix the wet and dry ingredients thoroughly in the bowl, then form small balls.  Place the balls onto a greased baking tray and flatten them a little with the bottom of a spoon.   When you bake these they will flatten and spread out to about double the width, so make sure you keep them apart or you’ll end up with one huge hobnob!
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray.   These hobnobs should be a lovely golden colour and they’ll firm up when they’re cooling.

Storing Hobnobs:

• Hobnobs can be frozen, before you cook them, or after.
• Hobnobs can be kept in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Hobnob Variations:

You can add anything to these hobnobs really, so far I’ve made:

Coconut Hobnobs: I’ve been told these taste like Anzac biscuits when I’ve added dessicated coconut to the recipe for hobnobs!

Xmas Hobnobs: Cranberry & Cinnamon Hobnobs

For Xmas I added some cranberries, which I’d soaked in some hot orange juice for an hour or so before cooking and some cinnamon.  They looked great with a piece of holly on the top and a dusting of icing sugar!  I’m lucky that there’s quite a bit of holly locally, so I can grab a sprig from a holly bush if I wish to!