Homemade Kingston Biscuits... golden, crunchy oat biscuits sandwiched together with melted chocolate. A classic Australian recipe!
Baked in no time, these classic Kingston cookies always go well with a coffee... irresistible little bites of sweet, crunchy oat biscuits and milk chocolate!
Arnott's biscuits are such iconic biscuits in Australia... with two of the most well known being their Chocolate Ripple biscuits (hello Chocolate Ripple Log!), and their Marie biscuits, which are used in the base of so many of my easy no-bake slices.
Similar to Anzac Biscuits, these Kingston biscuits are made with oats, or quick oats in this case, to give crispy buttery biscuits, made all the more special when sandwiched together with a layer of delicious milk chocolate.
Oats, brown sugar and golden syrup......the base ingredients of so many quick and easy recipes such as my simple, one bowl Chocolate Chip Anzac Slice, and my 5 ingredient Chocolate Flapjacks - both great lunch box fillers at a budget price!
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
It's impossible to stop at just one of these golden, crispy, oatmeal and chocolate cookies!
- Basic and budget friendly ingredients - no special ingredients are required to make Kingston biscuits, and you may find you already have what you need in the pantry.
- A little bit special - with their layer of milk chocolate between, these bite size Kingston biscuits look even more special than your typical baked cookie.
- Make a great gift - wrap half a dozen Kingstons up in a clear bag and tie with a ribbon for a gorgeous surprise gift for a neighbour or friend.
- Conventional and Thermomix - both simple methods are included in the recipe card.
What You Need
This really is a budget friendly recipe, with staple baking ingredients being all that's required for crunchy, chocolate layered Kingston biscuits.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
- Quick oats - similar to rolled oats, except they're rolled thinner, cook faster and have a smoother texture than traditional rolled oats.
- Plain flour - also called all purpose flour.
- Caster sugar - fine white sugar, preferred in baking as it dissolves more easily than standard granulated sugar. Also called superfine sugar.
- Desiccated coconut - finely ground desiccated coconut adds to the crunchy texture.
- Salt - just a pinch.
- Butter - salted or unsalted, either is fine to use.
- Golden syrup - in many recipes you can substitute golden syrup for corn syrup, honey or maple syrup, however for the best results, I recommend golden syrup in these Kingston biscuits.
- Bi-carbonate of soda - also known as baking soda.
- Milk chocolate - either melts or a block of cooking chocolate. Use a quality brand such as Cadbury or Nestle for the best taste, it really can make quite a difference.
Equipment Required
No need for beaters, just mixing bowls and spoons required, as well as:
- Microwave, or stove top - for melting the butter and golden syrup.
- Baking trays and a cooling rack - grease and line your trays with baking paper.
- Oven - I specify fan-forced oven temperatures in my recipes, so if you have a conventional oven, just increase the temperature by between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius and keep an eye on the biscuits towards the end of baking time.
Step By Step Instructions
These crunchy little Kingston biscuits, with their layer of creamy milk chocolate between, taste so much better when they're homemade!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
Step 1 - Prepare The Dry Ingredients
Firstly, preheat your oven to 160 degrees (fan-forced). Grease and line 3 or 4 baking trays with baking paper.
In a large bowl, combine the quick oats, plain flour, caster sugar, coconut and a pinch of salt.
Step 2 - Melt And Mix
Place the butter, golden syrup and 2 tablespoons cold water into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 3 minutes, 50% power or until the butter has melted.
Stir through the bi-carbonate of soda. The mixture will froth up a little.
Pour the frothy mixture over the dry ingredients.
Mix all ingredients together with a spoon.
Step 3 - Bake
Roll the mixture into teaspoon-sized balls and place 3-4cm apart on the greased and lined trays. Press down lightly.
Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges.
Once baked, cool on the baking trays for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4 - Sandwich Together With Chocolate Layer
Place the milk chocolate melts into a microwave safe bowl. Melt on 50% power in 30 second bursts or until just melted.
Allow the chocolate to cool and thicken slightly, then spread a teaspoon of melted chocolate onto the flat side of one of the biscuits. Gently sandwich together with another biscuit.
Set the Kingston biscuits aside to allow the chocolate layer to set.
Expert Tips
- In this recipe, I recommend using quick oats, rather than rolled oats, as quick oats are thinner and so give a smoother texture to the biscuits.
- Ensure your flour and bi-carb soda are both fresh for the crispiest biscuits.
- Choose a good quality brand of chocolate melts, or block of baking chocolate, as the taste is often superior to some of the cheaper brands, and in these biscuits, the chocolate layer adds so much!
- Roll them small - as you are sandwiching two biscuits together, they are best to be bite size.
- All ovens are slightly different, so keep an eye on these biscuits towards the end of baking time. You want them to be lightly golden. They will crisp up as they cool.
- Storing - these cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
- Freezing - Kingston biscuits can be frozen in an airtight container (with layers of baking/parchment paper between each layer) for up to 3 months.
FAQs
Quick oats are similar to rolled oats, but they're steamed longer and rolled thinner. This makes them cook faster, and have a smoother, creamier texture in porridge, but also better to use when you want the texture to be not quite so chunky or chewy, as in these Kingston biscuits.
You can replace the golden syrup with corn syrup, honey or maple syrup, however for the unique flavour of these crunchy oatmeal cookies, I do recommend using golden syrup in this recipe.
I recommend lining all trays with baking paper, as this makes cleaning up easier, and reduces the risk of the biscuits sticking.
Related Recipes
Here's some more cafe style cookies that are just perfect with a cuppa, but also make great lunch box fillers or after school treats!
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Kingston Biscuits
Ingredients
- 100 g (1 ¼ cups) quick oats
- 150 g (1 cup) plain flour
- 165 g (¾ cup) caster sugar
- 85 g (1 cup) desiccated coconut
- pinch of salt
- 125 g butter
- 80 g (¼ cup) golden syrup
- 1 tsp bi-carbonate soda
- 250 g milk chocolate melts or cooking chocolate
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees (fan-forced). Grease and line 3-4 baking trays with baking paper.
- Combine the quick oats, plain flour, caster sugar, coconut and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
- Place the butter, golden syrup and 2 tablespoons cold water into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 3 minutes, 50% power or until melted.
- Stir through the bicarbonate of soda.
- Pour the butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine.
- Roll the mixture into teaspoon-sized balls and place 3-4cm apart on the prepared trays. Press down lightly.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.
- Allow to cool on the baking trays for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the biscuits have completely cooled, place the milk chocolate melts into a microwave safe bowl. Melt on 50% power in 30 second bursts or until just melted. Allow to cool until slightly thickened.Spread a teaspoon of melted chocolate onto the flat side of one of the biscuits and sandwich together gently with another. Set aside to allow the chocolate to set.
Thermomix Method
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees (fan-forced). Grease and line 3-4 baking trays with baking paper.
- Place the butter, golden syrup and caster sugar into the Thermomix bowl. Melt for 3 minutes, 100 degrees, Speed 2.
- Add the bicarbonate of soda and 2 tablespoons of cold water to the melted butter mixture and mix for 10 seconds, Speed 3.
- Add the quick oats, plain flour, coconut and a pinch of salt. Mix together for 40 seconds, Reverse, Speed 2.
- Roll the mixture into teaspoon-sized balls and place 3-4cm apart on the prepared trays. Press down lightly.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.
- Allow to cool on the baking trays for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the biscuits have completely cooled, place the milk chocolate melts into a clean and dry Thermomix bowl. Grate for 10 seconds, Speed 8.Melt for 4 minutes, 50 degrees, Speed 2, or until melted.Allow to cool until slightly thickened.Spread a teaspoon of melted chocolate onto the flat side of one of the biscuits and sandwich together gently with another. Set aside to allow the chocolate to set.
Notes
- I recommend using quick oats, rather than rolled oats, as quick oats are thinner and so give a smoother texture to the biscuits.
- Ensure your flour and bi-carb soda are both fresh for the crispiest biscuits.
- Choose a good quality brand of chocolate melts, or block of baking chocolate, as the taste is often superior to some of the cheaper brands
- Roll them small - as you are sandwiching two biscuits together, they are best to be bite size.
- All ovens are slightly different, so keep an eye on these biscuits towards the end of baking time. You want them to be lightly golden. They will crisp up as they cool.
- Storing - these cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
- Freezing - Kingston biscuits can be frozen in an airtight container (with layers of baking/parchment paper between each layer) for up to 3 months.
Jan Carter
Could I make these vegan by changing the butter or would they be too oily do you think?
Lucy
Hi Jan, I haven't tried that sorry!
Kristy
Just use vegan butter and it’ll be fine.
Karen
Excellent recipe, simple and quick
Mary
These were fun to make. And very yummy.
I think cost needs to be altered as the good quality choc chips are over $5 a packet.