Chocolate Viennese biscuits: wallet-friendly indulgence, melt-in-the-mouth , buttery

These delicate, gloriously indulgent biscuits have been adapted from Martha Collinson, Great British Bake-off semi-finalists, now at Waitrose.

Crumbly, yummy Viennese Fingers; wallet-friendly indulgence for a special treat

67goingon50 has had this recipe for years and tested it many times, ending up on too many occasions with a sensational layer of fine crumbs but nothing one could describe as a biscuit.  The recipe is so rich, the cookies often ended up spreading all over the cookie tin.

It didn’t matter a lot however because the crumbs were sensationally delicious and when layered with tiers of creamy pudding or fruit, helped create mouthwatering  parfaits either in in tall glassware (US-style) or in slices on a plate (French).

With spring trying to establish itself between grey, damp interludes,  it was time to tackle the recipe once again to cheer us up.  

Conscious that many contemporary butters are not as rich as they were in recent years, more flour was added, as was wholemeal flour (ground nuts could replace wholemeal flour).  They added body to the cookie dough without affecting flavour.   Another factor was refrigerating the piped biscuits for at least half an hour before baking.

The results were amazing: tasty, crumbly, visually closer to what a Vinennese finger should look like  (though some practice is required to finesse the shape)!

Need an indulgent not-expensive treat? Try these.

Cost:  £3.50 + cost of dipping chocolate £1.60 (April 2026)

Makes: 25’ish biscuits

Ingredients

200 g soft butter*

50g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

150g plain flour

10g whole meal flour

50g cornflour

30g cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder(optional)

100g dark 70% cocoa baking chocolate (67 uses M&S)

Method

1. Beat butter & icing sugar until pale a fluffy - a few minutes
2. Add vanilla
3. Sift flour cornflour baking powder & cocoa powder into the mix in stages, stirring with a spoon,  increments, then whisk briefly until all is incorporated: look for a consistency that’s soft but firm enough to pipe biscuits with well defined stripes
4.  Place a large star shaped nozzle into the point of a pastry bag and fill with cookie dough, tamping down with a spatula.
5. Twist top of the pastry bag firmly; when forming biscuits, squeeze from the top
6. Line cookie trays with greaseproof paper or silicone mats ; pipe biscuits onto  trays with a little space in between
7. IMPORTANT: refrigerate at least 20-30 mins
8. Pre-hat oven, or air fryer on bake function, to 180c/350f; bake 10 to 15 mins until edges are softly brown 
9. Cool on baking tray; transfer with a fish slice to a cooling rack
10. When biscuits are no longer warm, if you like, melt chocolate and pour into a mug; dip half of each biscuit in chocolate; place back on cooling rack to set and cool. Note: the biscuits are very delicate
11. Store leftovers - if any - carefully in a container with stiff sides, separating each layer with greaseproof paper; they will keep up to 3 days in a container with a tight fitting lid
12. Freezing: pipe into desired shapes side-by-side on a cookie tray and place in freezer.  When frozen, carefully store in a container with stiff sides, inserting greaseproof paper or a serviette between each layer.  When ready to bake, place as many biscuits as you like onto a lined cookie sheet.  Defrost 5-10 mins; bake 12-13 mins; cool and dip into melted chocolate

Comments:

‘Yum.  Ambrosial! Easy prep but piping can be a bit fiddly first time.’ Retired writer

Tips: 

67goingon50 is working on a dairy-free version of this recipe to take account of the higher water content of plant butters/margarines 

Please leave a comment in the box below



This recipe has been  by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be used commercially without the author's written permission.

Slow Oven-baked Chuck Roast: Easy Peasy, wallet-friendly, low-fat

Roast beef has become almost unaffordable these days but a wallet-friendly Chuck Roast is a fine substitute.

Marinade overnight; sear; slow roast in low oven three hours:
Easy peasy and ever so delicious and tender

Cuts of chuck steak come from the shoulder which gets a great of exercise.  The meat can be chewy, tough and marbled with gristle.  But some cuts of chuck steak do not need long cooking.  Whether in steak or roast form,  treated properly, the meat becomes deliciously tender with an intriguing and not unpleasant ‘chew’.   More Details here 

Chuck roasts are steaks that are relatively wallet friendly.   It’s a cheaper alternative to the best cuts of beef, in the way that rump steak is a cheaper cousin to rib and loin cuts. Popular in North America for years, it is increasingly found in UK supermarkets. 

Chuck steaks cost about £8 for 250g/8.8 oz.  In the run-up to Passover/Easter the blogger found a hefty 1.3-kilo Chuck Roast at Menachems in Hendon on special for £27.  Too good to pass by, it was taken home and frozen.  

Though a cut of chuck is perfect for slow cookers, braises and pot roasts, a proper    roast was what was wanted, not something braised in liquid.  After research on the net, the blogger tried the slow oven-baked method. The meat needs marinating overnight and takes 3 hours to cook but once in the oven can be forgotten about. 

Reader, the roast was unbelievably tender and tasty, with tasters raving about its texture and flavour. 

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

    

   Marinade: 6 tbsp soy sauce

                   6 tbsp (tablespoons)  olive oil

                   3 tbsp vinegar (red wine or balsamic or apple)

                   3 tbsp peeled grated ginger

                   1.5 tbsp wholegrain mustard

                   1.5 tbsp brown sugar (dark preferred)

                   3 tsp (teaspoons) 5-spice powder

                   3 star anise

                   1.5 tsp freshly ground pepper

                   3/4 tsp salt

    1 x 2+ kilo chuck roast

(Recipe halves nicely)

Method:

 Start a day in advance

1. If cooking from frozen, ensure sufficient defrosting time; a 1 kilo joint can take longer than overnight  
2. Prepare marinade; set aside
3. Dry meat thoroughly; prick all over with a fork; slash fat at edges of roast
4. Place meat in a large strong freezer bag in a boxy container; carefully pour marinade over, catching any drips.  Seal bag; turn meat to allow marinade to coat all sides.
5. Refrigerate overnight, turning frequently
6. When ready to roast, turn oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit/150 centigrade and drain the roast, saving the marinade
7. Place a large frying pan over high heat until smoking hot, ie your palm should feel the heat if you place it above the pan’s base
8. Spray the roast, not the pan, generously with olive oil
9. Place one side of the meat onto the pan, reduce heat to medium high;  leave 2 mins to form a crust. Continue until all sides and each end have a thin crust
10. Place a low baking rack in a baking dish with lid; the  dish should be just big enough for the meat; the meat rests on the rack, not the bottom of the pan
11. Add marinade to the frying pan with 1/4 cup water, scrape to loosen cooked on bits; add half to the baking dish.  The meat should not touch the marinade
12. Cover pan tightly with lid; if necessary place a layer of foil or grease proof paper between lid and baking dish
13. Bake 3 hours, testing at 2.5 hours - (some like it pink; others prefer well-done) but the meat should be sliceable and tender
14. If you like, at 2 hours before end of cooking, add potatoes, carrots & parsnips for roasting and at half an hour before end of cooking, small cauliflower florets and tenderstem broccoli spears
15. Rest meat covered with foil to keep warm
16. Serve with meat juices from bottom of pan (healthier) OR add to marinade and make a gravy
17. Serve in medium slices 

Comments:

‘Lovely meal.  The meat was delicious and very juicy when I cut into it.  Thank you!’

67goingon50 handyman

‘Utterly ambrosial.  LOVED the marinade.  Little shrinkage and 1.3kilos of meat went far.  A great special value purchase.’ Retired writer

Please leave a Comment in the box below 

This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.     

Scotch Eggs for the Health Conscious

Low-fat Scotch Eggs -- healthier, better for you and wallet friendly!

updated 6/2025/first published 2016

Serve these Scotch Eggs in quarters for a lower-cost per portion treat 
'This was great, full of flavour, good and oniony; it really did not taste low-fat at all .' 20-something Fijian-Aussie taster

 

'

Apparently artisan Scotch eggs are the new snack of choice among those in the know and are increasingly found in up-market delis, top-of-the-line prices.  True, some of them are big, made of high-end ingredients and taste divine. 

But for a family snack or party buffet, these home made beauties from 67goingon50, are delicious, healthier and won’t cost the earth.  Served in halves,  they look great on a buffet table.

67 has cut fat, cholesterol  and preservatives but the Scotch Eggs taste just as good - some say, even better - than the usual thing.  Make them a day in advance.

The trick to these skinnier Scotch Eggs is using poultry mince, not pork.  Add wallet-friendly ham hock (frugal) or ham, or pastrami or spiced beef (not so frugal) plus a single high-meat sausage (beef, venison or pork) for flavour.
  
Forget about deep-frying; spray the breadcrumb layer generously with olive oil before baking for the crisp outer shell.  

This healthier version doesn't have that chef-y 'runny' yolk.  67 reckons that's a small price to pay and the thrown together creamy tomato, mushroom and pea salad (see below) compensates.

Cost: £5-6'ish, depending on meat (June 2025)
Makes: 4 Scotch Eggs - 8 halves; recipe multiplies easily

Ingred:
   200gms/8oz minced poultry 
     50gms/1.75 oz finely diced cooked ham hock, sliced ham or pastrami/spiced beef 
    1 venison, wild boar or beef sausage, skin removed
    1 tsp Dijon or wholegrain mustard
    3/4 tsp dried nutmeg
    1/2 tsp celery salt (opt)
    1/4 bunch chives or 1/3 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
     
    4 raw eggs
    
    1 beaten egg 
    handful of flour
    3/4 cup breadcrumbs (home-made or Panko; 67 processed stale bread into crumbs)

Method:

CHOCOLATE TREATS FOR THE SPRING HOLIDAY; many low-sugar, skinnier, easy, make in advance

I know, I know.  The end of Lent and Easter are just one huge excuse for indulging in chocolate.  And 67goingon50, for one, is quite happy to haul out the Chocaholics’ Archive.

The great joy with these wonderful recipes - apart from their sensational taste and texture - is that many are low-sugar or skinnier version of calorie-laden special occasion treats.  Some, moreover, are easily prepared and can be made in advance.

They’re great for Easter holidays and a few - with the usual adjustments - can join the treat table during Passover week.

NOTE:  There are four gluten-free recipes: the Rich Chocolate GingerTorte, the Skinnier Chocolate Peppermint Mousse and the White Chocolate Cream Pie (served as a pudding, without pastry), plus the No-added sugar Mocha Chocolate Brownies.  The blogger has not yet tested fine matzo flour, often used in kosher baking at this time of year, but has been served matzo soup dumplings, marvelling at their light airy texture.   67 suspects fine matzo flour could replace conventional flours in some of the cake and brownie offerings. 

LUXURY

Luxury Chocolate Torte with Ginger

Rich, creamy and to die for, AND easy-peasy and prep ahead

Adapted from Delia Smith, this wonderful treat stops conversation on first bite. 
(Kosher if biscuits chosen carefully)

Ambrosial Mint Croissant Bread & Butter Pudding:

Truly to die for — rich, light, gooey, with a crispy top, the intensity of chocolate sends guests into raptures.   Cook's Delight: it’s made 3 days before  needed and forgotten until it's time to bake

'Wow! Excellent, really good.' 'Very chocolatey; it's nicely crusty & chewy.' 
'A great office hit!' Tasters

Usually a winter treat but perfect for chilly April.  So popular in some households, cooks have been known to make one for Christmas Mass supper and another for Christmas Day.  

'Irish Coffee' Chocolate Cake':  Vegan-glorious; Dark, rich and gorgeously chocolate, the cake is fine-crumbed and hints of whiskey.  The frothy topping is served on the side or turned into icing 

LOWER-SUGAR & WALLET FRIENDLY

…but will still blow you away with fantastic flavours and wonderful textures.  And guess what?  Many of them are also low in cholesterol.  They're almost guilt free!  

Skinny Chocolate Peppermint Mousse: (gluten-free)

Only a little added sugar (but plenty of chocolate) and no cream unless you want it as a topping; this healthier dessert offers deep, dark flavours.

Light & lovely but intensely chocolatey; 
no-bake, butter-free, cream optional

TIRAMISU PUDDING: 

Less fat and fewer calories: layers of coffee dipped lady fingers, creamy filling & chocolate ganache; enlist the family's help and the making of it goes fast.

Vegetarian White Chocolate & Raspberry Cream Pie:

(gluten-free served as pudding without pie shell)

Lower-fat with full-fat flavour; this is quick & easy loveliness.  A store-bought pie shell saves time.  Just 5 ingredients and it works with dark chocolate , too!

No-added-sugar Mocha Walnut Brownies (gluten free)

 Surprisingly tasty; ideal for diabetics and sugar-phobes; easy peasy 

Not quite what we’re used to but loved by sugar-phobes

 

Hot Choco-Nutella Brownie Pudding, prep-ahead knock-out indulgence

Beatty's Glorious Chocolate Cake ,  indulgent vegetarian family treat, dairy free batter

 Please leave a Comment in the box below

These recipes have been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.