Homemade Kingston Biscuits
These delicious little sandwich cookies are buttery and crunchy. And with a hint of coconut and a velvety milk chocolate filling, they’re the ultimate classic Australian biscuit (or cookie for my USA friends). And if you make the ganache beforehand, these cookies will be ready in less than 30 minutes!
What are Kingston Biscuits?
Arnotts have been making their classic Kingston biscuits for years. Two crunchy golden cookies that are sandwiched together with a quick and easy milk chocolate ganache. Although they make theirs with the addition of oats (much like my traditional ANZAC Cookies) I’ve opted for a deliciously golden cookie with a hint of coconut. The result is a beautifully crunchy sandwich cookie. And the milk chocolate ganache is the perfect filling for my homemade Kingston Biscuits. No time to make the ganache? These little cookies are delicious to eat on their own!
Are Kingston Biscuits easy to make?
Yes! Here’s my simple steps to making perfect Homemade Kingston Biscuits:
- Make the ganache first by heating cream and milk chocolate. Mix, then cool to thicken
- For the cookies, start by creaming the butter and sugar
- Add the remaining wet ingredients and mix to combine
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined
- Scoop out cookie dough using a small ice cream scoop and place onto a lined baking tray
- Bake cookies, cool, then sandwich together with the ganache
Ingredients to make these Classic Sandwich Cookies
Homemade Kingston Biscuits are so easy to make, with just a handful of staple ingredients, including:
- Room temperature butter to ensure the ingredients are well blended and without lumps
- Regular plain flour
- Egg yolk for richness
- Vanilla extract for flavour
- Dessicated coconut for flavour and crunch. Dessicated coconut is a finely shredded, dried coconut, available in supermarkets
- Golden syrup for that classic Aussie flavour. Note: Golden syrup is an inverted sugar found in the UK and Australia and is much like a light treacle or honey. It has a thick consistency similar to honey, so if you struggle to find it where you live, honey would make a fine alternative. The flavour will be more subtle.
- Milk chocolate and heavy cream for the ganache. Use the best quality chocolate for a smooth, flavourful ganache.
My Top Tips for making Homemade Kingston Cookies
- Measure your ingredients! Cup measurements of flour can weigh differently every time, but 120g will always be 120g
- Beat the butter and sugar until it’s just creamed. Beating it for too long can cause the cookies to spread too much.
- Heat the Golden Syrup in the microwave for 15 seconds before measuring -it makes it easier to scoop out
- Use a small ice-cream scoop to scoop out the dough). This will ensure the cookies are equal in size.
- Don’t press down the cookie balls! Those babies will flatten themselves as they bake.
How to make a velvety smooth ganache
- Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate and cream, gently whisking to create a smooth ganache.
- Use great quality chocolate! I use Callebaut or Lindt chocolate for the ultimate rich ganache
- Allow the ganache to cool while you make the cookies. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap then leave it to cool, or pop it into the fridge to cool quickly. Check it every 10 minutes, to make sure it hasn’t set too much.
Why you’ll love this Sandwich Cookie Recipe
- Apart from being super quick and easy to make, it’s two cookies for the price of one!
- These Kingston Biscuits will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container
- They’re crunchy and delicious
- They make the perfect sandwich cookie for gifting
- Great for picnics, lunchboxes, school fetes and bake sales
- They’re perfect with your afternoon tea
More Great Bake Sale Recipes:
If you’re looking for the perfect recipe to make for your next school fete or bake sale, check out my tried and true favourites (they were always the first things to sell when my boys were at school!)
I hope you enjoy making these Kingston Biscuits! Please let me know by leaving a comment or rating on the recipe below, or by sharing your creations with me on Instagram
Happy Baking!
Homemade Kingston Biscuits
Ingredients
Coconut Cookies
- 115 g butter at room temperature
- 115 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp golden syrup
- 1 egg yolk
- 170 g plain flour
- 25 g desiccated coconut
- pinch of salt
- ½ tsp bicarbonate soda
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
Chocolate Filling
- 130 g milk chocolate, chopped or use good quality milk chocolate buds
- ¼ cup cream
Instructions
Chocolate Filling
- In a double boiler, heat the chocolate and cream, gently stirring to create a smooth ganache (see notes)
- Allow the ganache to cool and thicken -this will take around 30 minutes. In the meantime, make the cookies.
Coconut Cookies
- preheat oven to 180° C/350° F or 160° FF
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed is enough (you don't want too much air in the mixture)
- Add vanilla, golden syrup and egg yolk, then mix until combined.
- Add combined sifted dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined
- Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough and roll into balls
- Place dough balls onto a lined baking sheet, leaving space for them to spread a little
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden
- Cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a cake rack. When completely cool, you can fill them with the chocolate ganache
- When the ganache is thick enough to hold it's shape, briskly stir it with a spatula, then pour into a piping bag fitted with a round (alternatively, just snip the end off a piping bag).
- Pipe a generous amount of ganache onto the underside of one cookie, pressing together with a second cookie to sandwich
Notes
- A double boiler can be made by placing a heat-proof bowl on top of a small saucepan of simmering water. The bowl should not touch the simmering water.
- Golden Syrup is a thick inverted sugar form the UK and Australia. It is a light treacle that can be substituted for honey, but the flavour will be more subtle
- Heat the golden syrup in microwave for about 15 seconds before measuring -this will make it thinner and easier to handle
0 Comments