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50 Comments
Barbara T.
February 11, 2018
Oh my what a treat. I have been holding this recipe for a bit, now that Ihave made it, how wonderful they are. I didnt add the chocolate to them but they dont have to have it. Thank you so very much for your share.
Sarah T.
May 23, 2015
Incredibly easy to make and TASTY! More like a hobnob than a digestive, but tasty all the same!
Tess
April 27, 2015
I didn't have muskovado sugar, so I used light brown sugar with 1/2 tsp of molasses. These biscuits are lovely with tea. They have a nice texture and the Aren't overly sweet, so the chocolate Lends a nice finish.
Amy S.
January 20, 2015
i forgot how delicious these were! i made this recipe a couple months ago, froze a few in rounds, and just made the ones i had frozen. they definitely hit that digestive sweet spot that i've been missing since leaving europe. i like chopping a small amount of chocolate into fine pieces and putting it on top of the cookies while they're still warm, then spreading it when melted.
schizo12901
September 25, 2014
Mine are in the oven. I had a problem after rolling the dough I couldn't get it off the parchment in anything that looked like a cookie shape :( However, I decided to take off the excess dough around my cut cookies and then put the parchment I rolled on in the refidgerator then the oven... We will see how that works, next time I will leave more space between cookies I cut out as I think they will rise and run into one another. Other than that the recipe was very easy. I will update with how they turn out :)
Kate
May 10, 2014
i was thinking of making these with a honey/maple syrup instead of the sugar. Do you think it will work out well or should I try omitting the milk?
angela
April 13, 2014
can't WAIT to try these, i love these type of cookies but don't like buying store bought cookies full of icky ingredients.
Michael
March 20, 2014
I made the digestive biscuits but added salted carmelized white chocolate on top instead.... Very good with sherry.
Michael
Michael
aunty M.
March 20, 2014
Being from the UK I can't wait to try this recipe! I adore chocolate digestive biscuits and I'm sure they are just as healthy (or not) as any regular biscuit (sorry - cookie) as anything available in US supermarkets!
Patricia B.
March 17, 2014
Fell in love with these biscuits when we were stationed at Upavon in 1996-1999. We here in the States don't have a biscuit like this. Thanks for the recipe!
Kitty H.
March 17, 2014
these look like just what i love, i made something close with dates and honey and such, took them to work and they said that they were "Too" healthy, i said, great more for me, and they are great with a cup of coffee in the morning to get you going or to keep you going, love the afternoon tea, i may do without the chocolate though, will have to try it first
Colleen R.
March 17, 2014
Can buckwheat be substituted for the spelt?
londonbakes
March 17, 2014
I was thinking about this at the weekend but didn't get a chance to play. My gut is that it would probably be okay but I can't say for sure. One of the commenters below tried it with a mix of buckwheat, nut flour and garbanzo bean flour which sounds great!
Judith A.
March 16, 2014
So tickled to find this recipe... I fell in love with Digestive Biscuits with chocolate bottoms while living in England in 1970-73... what a joy to find this recipe! Can't wait to bake a batch! Thanks so much!
Gary S.
March 16, 2014
Now now Helen, lighten up ;-), these are treats. They are also scrumptious - not too thick, not too much chocolate - just perfect! Love from England.
Helen F.
March 16, 2014
I used to live in England and lived quite a lot on digestive biscuits - chocolate coated or not. These biscuits are much too thick; they should be more like a very thin ginger snap. The amount of chocolate coating is excessive. There was a reason why these cookies were considered healthy.
londonbakes
March 17, 2014
Sadly, I don't think anyone thinks digestive biscuits are healthy these days whether they're covered in chocolate or not! Personally, I don't think less than 10g of chocolate per biscuit is excessive but you may be more abstemious than I am. If so, more power to you! They are a tiny bit thicker than a shop bought digestive because they cook up a little better that way but you are, of course, free to roll them however thick or thin you like!
Helen F.
March 17, 2014
Thank you for the thoughts. I'm certainly going to give the recipe a try; homemade is always better, and in this case I'll find for myself. I'm sure there will always be the crisp versus soft cookie debate. Best regards.
Carly R.
March 16, 2014
I made these gluten free by keeping the oats (GF of course) and instead of flours I used 1/3 cup almond meal, 1/3 cup cashew meal (thank you trader joe's!), and for the last third I used a combo of buckwheat and garbanzo/chickpea flour). I felt like the nut meals would give the digestives the same nutty complexity of flavor. And the result? DELICIOUS. In fact, I think because the nut meals are so naturally sweet I will use less sugar next time. And I would've used coconut milk, but the dough was actually perfect so I didn't need any.
londonbakes
March 17, 2014
Oh, that's a great suggestion! Thanks for the comment and for letting me know how you made them. I was thinking hazelnut meal/buckwheat might work nicely but I'm definitely going to try your way!
alexandra.cook
March 16, 2014
It never occurred to me that these are hard to find back home. They are a staple at every s/m in Greece where we live in lots of varieties (lo-fat, lo-sugar, w/ omega3, w/ chocolate). Now, to have a recipe to make them at home (and with choice ingredients) that's two thumbs up from me!
jane L.
March 16, 2014
out of the blue, i discovered this site (and this recipe)and what a treat! these digestive biscuits are delicious and so easy to make.....it had never occurred to me to make them as Marks and Spencer's are my go-to digestive favourite. thank you, thank you, thank you!
Theresatron
March 16, 2014
"Sadly, modern doctors are no longer in the habit of prescribing a couple of biscuits after meals" HA! Made me lol. I don't know if 'real Londoners' tend to make their own biscuits. Too busy going to Pret and moaning about the congestion zone!
Jantastic
March 16, 2014
Would whole wheat flour be a good substitute for the spelt flour?
londonbakes
March 17, 2014
Absolutely, I meant to write 'whole wheat flour or wholegrain spelt flour' in the recipe so I will update it now!
kelly.marshall
March 16, 2014
Thank you, thank you for this recipe! My 18-month-old daughter loves digestive biscuits, and they are somewhat difficult to come by in Seattle. I usually order them from Amazon! They are sweet enough to serve as a treat, but wholesome enough that I don't mind indulging my baby girl. Can't wait to make a batch of these!
Sistine
March 16, 2014
What is whole wheat spelt flour? Also is the sugar the same as dark brown sugar?
ozbaker
March 16, 2014
There is no such thing as "whole wheat spelt flour" because wheat and spelt are different grains. I think the author meant whole grain spelt flour. Whole wheat flour can be substituted. Also, dark muscovado sugar is similar to dark brown sugar. It is a richer and darker sugar than American dark brown sugar but they are interchangeable.
londonbakes
March 17, 2014
Sorry, my ingredients got conflated. It should say 'whole wheat flour or whole grain spelt flour'. As the commentator above says, dark brown sugar is similar to muscavado similar although it's slightly drier and less flavourful. You might not need quite the same amount of milk to get your dough to the right consistency.
Linda
March 13, 2014
YESSS, digestive biscuits! They form a really important part of my early consciousness, funnily enough. I lived in Hong Kong and attended an international school when I was quite young, and my best friend's family, from the UK, loved the stuff. Needless to say, I ate a lot of them. Thanks for sharing Kathryn!! I definitely want to give these a try. (And chocolate is the very best!)
Chrissy
March 12, 2014
I used to hoard these in my carry on every time I'd come over from England before they were sold here so readily in the states. Thank you. THANK YOU!
Erika C.
March 12, 2014
Yay Kathryn! Happy to see you on Food52. I love digestive biscuits, now I can make them at home.
BavarianCook
March 12, 2014
Oh wow, my food prayers were answered! I love Digestives but not their price tag over here. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
apayne17
March 11, 2014
Thrilled to see this recipe come across my feed : Kathryn + food52! Awesome combination. And the fact that it's a recipe for one of my favourite childhood treats doesn't hurt, either!
Denise
March 11, 2014
I like cookie recipes that use the food processor because I can never get the butter and sugar creamed up light enough with my hand held mixer (i'm saving up for a Kitchenaid mixer with the paddle, but that would also mean I would need to make the counter space for it). So thanks for this recipe! If you don't have a food processor you could probably put the oatmeal through the blender and then do the rest by hand. Or maybe you can buy the quick cooking oats.
Cynthia C.
March 11, 2014
Oh YAY Kathryn!!!!! These look soooo so good. I need to find myself a doctor who will prescribe me them.
Marian B.
March 11, 2014
When I studied abroad in Spain, I went through a very serious digestive phase; I'd slather them in jam. I am so very excited to try making these -- thanks, Kathryn!
Jean H.
March 11, 2014
Sounds great but, How about this recipe without the food processor?
londonbakes
March 12, 2014
Hi Jean, I think you'd be able to make it without a food processor using oat flour, instead of oats. You can just rub or cut the fat into the flour and sugar (as if you were making pastry) and just bring the dough together with your hands. Let me know how you get on if you try it!
amysarah
March 11, 2014
I love digestive biscuits, so thanks for this. And modern medicine is wrong - cookies can absolutely be medicinal. Years of personal research support this.
Jessica R.
March 11, 2014
Thanks for this! I LOVE digestives and have been trying to figure out how to make them at home for ages!
Michelle@HummingbirdHigh
March 11, 2014
Yay! Go Kathryn! I love digestive biscuits and they're so hard to find here in the US. Thanks for this recipe!
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