Swedish Chocolate Biscuits

I am guessing that you want to get the recipe for these biscuits right away, photos of chocolate tend to have that effect on people. But before we’ll get into that, we’d just like to mention three events that have made our hearts pound a little extra lately.

1. Well, this obviously!

2. And because of that, we just signed a contract for a slightly bigger rental apartment. Elsa is getting her own room! We’ll be moving very soon and are feeling both excited and scared about it. We love our current apartment very much, so it’s not easy for us to leave it. But we are also very happy that we have found something bigger that we can afford. It’s going to be fun to see what we can make of our new place. We will probably post some photos of it on instagram (David|Luise) once we are starting to feel at home there.

3. What more? Oh, that’s right, we just delivered the last bits and bobs for our new book “Green Kitchen Travels”. It will be available in UK, US and Australia this autumn. And this time, all the editions will have the same cover!

So. New baby on the way. New apartment on the way. New book on the way. Any questions on that? Good. Let’s talk biscuit.

In Sweden, these are called “chokladbiskvier” and you can find them in just about any bakery. I thought they were especially fun to bake today, since they remind me of Luise’s bump (okay, it’s not that pointy yet, but still…). The basic idea is to bake a meringue and almond biscuit that you top with some kind of creamy filling and then dip it in melted dark chocolate. So when you bite into it, your teeth will crack the thin chocolate crust, sink into the rich and creamy filling and then get all gooey with the biscuit.

As usual, my version is a bit different than the traditional recipe. I have included dried coconut in the biscuit because I think it fits well with the almond flavor. I have also replaced sugar with maple and used less of it. They are still very sweet and incredibly delicate and decadent. We have filled it with a Mocha & Chocolate Buttercream, but I imagine that a Lemon Buttercream, a Minty Chocolate Cream or a Chocolate & Licorice Cream also would taste wonderful.

These cookies are naturally gluten free but definitely not vegan. You could simply replace the butter for a plant based alternative and the eggs with an egg replacer, but it doesn’t feel like the most whole food way to go. So I also created a vegan version. The vegan biscuit is based on dates, almond flour and coconut, so it’s slightly different than the non-vegan version, but also has a really nice flavor and soft gooey texture. It’s filled with a very simple and fresh raspberry cream. While working on them, I realized that nut butter also would make for a good vegan filling. The vegan recipe is at the bottom of the post.

Swedish Chocolate & Mocha Biscuits
Makes 16 small biscuits

2 egg whites
4 tbsp maple syrup or honey
100 g / 3/4 cup / 180 ml almond flour
50 g / ½ cup desiccated coconut, unsweetened

Mocha buttercream
100 g organic butter, room tempered
2 egg yolks
3 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp strong coffee of choice, optional
4 tbsp cacao powder

150 g / 5 oz dark quality chocolate

Preparing the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 360°F/180°C and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Whisk egg whites and maple syrup vigorously in a medium size bowl for about a minute. Add almond flour and desiccated coconut and stir until well combined. Use your hands to shape small balls, about half the size of a golf ball. Be aware that the dough is quite loose to work with. Place them on the baking paper and flatten them out a bit, they should roughly have the size and shape of a French macaroon, about 2 inches wide. You can also make them larger, if you prefer bigger biscuits. Bake for about 8-10 minutes and then leave to cool completely. Meanwhile prepare the mocha buttercream.

Preparing the buttercream: It’s easiest to prepare the buttercream using an electric mixer or a stand mixer, but a balloon whisk and a strong arm works as well. Whisk egg yolks vigorously in a large bowl until frothy. Cut the butter into small lumps and gradually add them together with maple syrup and coffee, while whisking. The buttercream might look curdled at one point, but just keep whisking and it will smoothen out. Sift the cacao into the buttercream and whisk until well combined. If it has become too soft, you can leave it in the fridge for a while to firm up.

Assembling: Turn the cooled biscuits upside-down. Spread about a two teaspoons buttercream onto the flat base of each biscuit and use a knife or a pallet knife to shape the cream into cones. You can also use a pastry bag to pipe the buttercream onto the biscuits. Leave to cool for about 15 minutes in the fridge. Chop the chocolate and melt it over a water bath/double boiler. Take it off and leave for a minute or so to cool down slightly. Hold the base of the biscuit between your finger tips and dip the cone into the chocolate. Twist and shake off any excess chocolate before putting it down. Repeat with the remaining biscuits. Can be served immediately, kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen and saved.

Vegan Raspberry Biscuits
Makes 16 small biscuits

8 fresh dates
100 g almond flour
70 g / 3/4 cup desiccated coconut, unsweetened
½ cup plant milk of choice

Vegan raspberry filling
1 cup fresh raspberries (or thawed frozen)
10 fresh dates
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp plant milk

150 g / 5 oz vegan dark chocolate

Preparing the biscuit:Mash up the dates with a fork or use a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients an stir until well combined. Use your hands to shape small balls, about half the size of a golf ball. Place them on the baking paper and flatten them out a bit, they should roughly have the size and shape of a French macaroon. About 2 inches wide. But you can also make them larger, if you prefer. Bake for about 12-14 minutes and then leave to cool completely. They will feel quite loose right away but firm up as they cool. Meanwhile prepare the raspberry cream.

Preparing the raspberry filling: Mix together the ingredients in a high-speed blender. If you want a smoother filling without seeds, you can pass it through a sieve. Put in the fridge to firm up.

Assembling: Turn the cooled biscuits upside-down. Spread about two teaspoons buttercream filling onto the flat base of each biscuit and use a knife or a pallet knife to shape the cream into cones. You can also use a pastry bag to pipe the filling onto the biscuits. Leave to cool for about 15 minutes in the fridge. Cut the chocolate into smaller pieces and melt it over a water bath/double boiler. Take it off and leave for a minute or so to cool down slightly. Hold the base of the biscuit between your finger tips and dip the cone into the chocolate. Twist and shake off any excess chocolate before putting it down. Repeat with the remaining biscuits. Can be served immediately, kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen and saved.

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Ps. I almost forgot to mention that our book now also is available in German. It’s called Die Grüne Küche and should be available all over Germany and on Amazon.de. You can find more information about the different editions on our book site.