What is it with Brits and Tea?

It wasn’t until I moved to the US that I realised just how obsessed us British are with tea. Just woken up? Put the kettle on. Had an argument with your boo? Put the kettle on. Hard day in the office? Put the kettle on. The end of the world is nigh? Sounds like the perfect time to put the kettle on!

A national institution, you can even identity the class and breeding of a person by the way they drink their tea. The higher classes indulge in an “afternoon tea” ritual, pouring tea from a pre-warmed teapot into delicate china tea cups, from which they drink with their pinky finger in the air. It is customary to serve afternoon tea with cucumber sandwiches, freshly baked scones with clotted cream and jam, and a forest-devouring quantity of paper doilies.

At the other end of the scale are the unrefined, lower classes. Those who have no social etiquette whatsoever in the practice of tea drinking. They swig big gulps from large, bucket-sized mugs whilst submitting to a rather frightful, crass and uncouth habit… the vulgar act of biscuit dunking – if you’re trying to guess at which end of the scale I sit, lets just say I cannot resist a soggy biscuit!

Rather than being ashamed, I am actually quite proud of being a dunker, because dunking in itself is rather clever. For not only does it release more flavour from the biscuit by dissolving the sugars, but it also requires technical skill, fearlessness and precision timing – just one second over and you’ll end up with an unpalatable sludge at the bottom of your cup. Forget marathons, triathlons and weightlifting, biscuit dunking is the new sport of champions!

If you’re tempted to reach for the biscuit tin (or cookie jar) for a sneaky dunk with your cup of char, you can be sure to perfect the art of dunking with this Snickers® Biscotti Recipe. Biscotti is twice-baked, which creates a hardy, crunchy biscuit that will stand up to the hottest cup of Rosy Lee. With a rich chocolate biscuit, squishy gooey chunks of Snickers®, caramel frosting and a nutty bite, this really is the King of Biscotti – and posh enough to indulge in a spot of social dunking too!

Before making the biscotti mix, pre-heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and line a baking sheet with a non-stick baking mat or some parchment paper. Chop the Snickers® bars into small pieces – sneaking a couple of pieces while no-one is watching is mandatory!

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar, then mix in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mix, until everything is perfectly combined.

Now add the Snickers® pieces and gently stir into the mixture. These little pieces of caramel joy will stay gooey even after baking – magical!

Divide the dough in half and form into two long log shaped loaves – they should be approximately 14” x 2” in size. Place these “logs” on the baking sheet at least 4” apart, as they will spread a little while baking.

Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes – the biscotti should be firm, but not hard. Cool the biscotti on a wire rack for half an hour, but remember to leave the oven on – these cookies are twice-baked remember!

Using a serrated knife, cut each loaf into 1″ slices. If the slices crumble while cutting, leave the loaf to cool a little longer and then try again. Place the slices on the lined cookie sheet and bake for another 30 minutes.

Place the biscotti on a wire rack to cool. Once completely cool, the biscotti can be iced.

To make the icing carefully melt the caramels – I used Werther’s Original Soft Caramels – in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds, remove and stir, then heat for 10 second increments, stirring each time, until the caramel is melted. BE CAREFUL – the melted caramel will be extremely HOT!

Using the whisk attachment on your electric mixer, combine the confectioners’ sugar, melted caramel, and milk until smooth. If the icing appears too thick, add more milk until the desired consistency is achieved.

Dip the biscotti, one by one, into the bowl to evenly coat the top of each biscuit with the caramel icing.

Now melt the chocolate in the microwave using a microwave-safe bowl. It should take about 30 seconds. Then, using a spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate over the caramel frosted biscotti. Immediately afterwards, sprinkle with the chopped peanuts so they adhere to the caramel and chocolate topping.

You’ll need to leave them to set for at least 2 hours before attempting to wrap or store them. Snickers® Biscotti can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 3 weeks, but let’s be honest, they’re never going to last that long are they?!

While enjoying your Snickers® Biscotti and your daily cuppa, why not indulge in a little sofa-side shopping at the Arugula & Rocket Cookshop?