Milk chocolate and Earl Grey
diges-tea-ves
Getting into my downtime comfort zone means three things:
stretchy pants, a pot of tea and a packet of milk chocolate–
covered digestives. Alas, commercial brand digestives are always
saliva-sucking dry. So, I fixed it – the answer, as it so often turns
out to be, is to add more butter.

Streamlining two of my three loves by adding tea to the dough
makes these extra special. Just seek a high-quality Earl Grey tea
in leaf form with big bergamot energy, or simply say berga-no
and leave it out altogether. Still unstoppable to eat!
Weigh the butter, icing sugar and molasses into the bowl of an electric
stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on speed 4 (below
medium) for about 10 minutes until malty brown and thickly creamy –
not fluffy and aerated. Scrape down the bowl with a stiff spatula
a few times.

Grind the Earl Grey tea leaves, if using, to a fine powder – a spice
grinder or mortar and pestle is best. Sift the plain flour with the
bicarb soda, baking powder and salt, then add in the ground tea
leaves, wholemeal flour and wheat bran and give them a swizzle with
your fingers to combine.

Give the creamed butter base a final and thorough scrape down. Tip
the dry ingredients in and beat on speed 1 (low) for 30 seconds,
until the mix changes from floury to a brown and nubbly crumble mix.

Still on speed 1 (low), pour in the buttermilk and mix until the dough
cleans the sides. Take the bowl off the stand mixer and scrape the
dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Lightly knead to incorporate
any buttery or buttermilky seams back into the dough.

Form the dough into a fat disc, cover in plastic wrap, clasp and
massage the sides to smooth any cracks, then chill for a minimum of
3 hours before rolling.

continued …
Earl Grey cookies
170 g (6 oz) unsalted butter,
cool and pliable
50 g (1¾ oz) icing
(confectioners’) sugar
15 g (½ oz) molasses (or treacle)
7 g (¼ oz/1½ heaped
tablespoons) Earl Grey
tea leaves (optional)
100 g (3½ oz) plain
(all-purpose) flour
2 g (¹⁄₁₆ oz/¼ teaspoon) bicar- bonate
of soda (baking soda)
2 g (¹⁄₁₆ oz/¼ teaspoon)
baking powder
2 g (¹⁄₁₆ oz/¼ teaspoon) fine
sea salt
100 g (3½ oz) wholemeal
(whole-wheat) plain
(all-purpose) flour
30 g (1 oz) wheat bran
50 g/ml (1¾ oz) buttermilk, cold
cooking oil spray
Milk chocolate glaze
375 g (13 oz) good milk
chocolate (30%-plus cocoa)
20 g (¾ oz) neutral coconut oil
or butter
3 g (¹⁄₁₀ oz/¼ teaspoon) vanilla
paste
To finish
10 g (¼ oz) cacao nibs
3 g (¹⁄₁₀ oz/heaped ½ teaspoon)
sea salt flakes

Makes Around 12 cookies, 10 cm

(4 in) round.

Takes Thirty minutes to make the

dough, plus 3 hours’ chilling time.

One and a half hours to roll, bake,
cool and dip. Another hour for the
chocolate to set.

Keeps Baked and dipped – a week

in an airtight container. Keep chilled
in hot weather.