These Homemade Hob Nobs Clones are in honor of one of my favorite cookies, Hob Nobs by McVitie’s. McVitie’s also sells a similar cookie called Digestives. I’ve never tasted a Digestive, but they have quite a strong following, and from what I gather, people who’ve tasted both types of cookies seem to have a firm preference for one or the other. The Digestives lovers strike me as purists while the Hob Nob fans say Hob Nobs have more flavor and more oats. Some go so far as to call Digestives bland. Having never tried a Digestive, I can’t pick a team but I’d probably pick Team Hob Nob.
Here’s a photo of one of my homemade Hob Nobs clones sitting next to an actual Hob Nob. Next time, I’ll probably make mine smaller so they’ll be closer to the real thing. Also, the actual Hob Nobs are a little “wheatier”. I’m thinking a teaspoon of toasted wheat germ added in with the flour might fix that. And finally, the fake Hob Nobs are buttery, which is a good thing! The real Hob Nobs are made with palm oil. While it does make them slightly flakier, the buttery flavor of the fake Hob Nobs is great.
Homemade Hob Nobs
1 1/4 cups oats (120 grams)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (50 grams)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour (50 grams)**
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (2.25 ml)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (2.25 ml)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (50 grams)
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (25 grams)
9 tablespoons salted butter (130 grams) — if using unsalted, add 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon corn syrup (15 ml glucose syrup)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla (1.25 ml vanilla essence)
4 oz milk chocolate, Cadbury
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
Process oats in a food processor until fine. Add both flours, baking powder and baking soda and pulse to mix. Add both sugars and pulse to mix again. Add cut up butter and pulse processor until mixture is coarse and sand-like. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and pulse some more. Mixture will look very dry.
Empty into a wide mixing bowl and shape into two big balls. Press each ball into a disk and place between sheets of waxed paper. Roll one of the disks to about a ¼ inch thickness. Using a 2 inch round (or slightly smaller) cookie cutter, cut out circles. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
Cool cookies on a cooling rack.
Melt the milk chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Spoon melted chocolate over cookies. When milk chocolate is partially set, drag a toothpick through it and make a Hob Nob like pattern.
Makes about 16 cookies
**You can use regular whole wheat flour, but weigh out 50 grams. I think it’s a little heavier than whole wheat pastry flour and the volume might be less than ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons
Anna
Maddy, thanks for such a helpful review! I’m glad you liked the recipe.
Maddy
I’ve been on a quest to make my own Hob Nobs after a visit to England a few months ago. I tried another recipe before this one. The cookies were good but not really Hob Nob copycats, and they were much too sweet. But THIS recipe is a keeper!!! I love it for so many reason, and let me count the ways :-).
1) Love how the ratio of oats is much higher than flour;
2) Love the low amount of sugar;
3) Love how easy it is to prepare the dough in a food processor bowl;
4) Love that the dough ends up as a manageable “clump” … cleanup is a breeze with just the food processor!
Here’s what I did differently from the recipe:
1) I didn’t have whole wheat pastry flour, so I substituted an exact amount of wheat germ
2) I substituted maple syrup for corn syrup
3) added a pinch of salt as others mentioned — the salty note with the sweet chocolate is one of the things I love most about Hob Nobs
4) I rolled the dough in four logs, then cut five pieces from each log, rolled into balls and flattened to 1/4″ vs. rolling and cutting — this yielded 20 cookies
5) ended up baking for closer to 15 minutes (turned the baking sheet a few times in the process, as my oven can heat a little unevenly); they weren’t done enough after 12 minutes per the recipt
When the cookies were cooling, they had kind of a peanut butter aroma (which worried me that perhaps the wheat germ was going to make them not taste good). However, they were delicious and captured that authentic gritty and crumbly Hob Nob texture and not-very-sweet taste. Next time I will reduce the wheat germ down to 3 tbsp. and increase the all-purpose flour by 3 tbsp. I melted a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate (over a double-boiler) for the chocolate topping.
Thanks so much for this recipe!
Anna
Excellent! Is there a special stamp for that?
Jen
Made these tonight; brilliant! Officially UK certified! Thanks for the recipe 😀
Anna
Thanks so much for the review!! I’m glad you liked the cookies :).
L
Just a quick mention, since I didn’t want to use syrup I substituted honey and they’re still delicious!
L
Woweee! Just made these and they were sooooooooo goooooooooood!!! I’ve been looking for a homemade version of hob nobs and these are perfect-and maybe a smidge healthier. A pinch of salt sounds like an interesting idea. Thank you!!
Carole Powell
These are Really Good! I just baked them this morning and had them with coffee. Following my own instincts, I added a tiny pinch of salt with the bicarb and baking powder. Just what I was looking for. Thanks!
Anna
Hi Nick! Thanks for the review.
Nick
Absolutely love these biscuits!!! The recipe is perfect, but I agree they need a little salt.
Julie
Thanks for posting this recipe. We were down to our last two real ones and NEEDED more! I actually liked your cookie version better. My problem was that we used the chocolate we had on hand… 53% cacao, and that wasn’t very good.
I added the 1/2 t. of wheat germ and, because I didn’t have corn syrup on hand, substituted a water/sugar mixture.
Veronica
Hi Becky
Belated reply: I’m the person who posted the “other” hobnob recipe referred to above:
http://www.larecettedujour.org/2008/09/hobnobs-revisited.php
Since I first posted it, I had a very helpful comment from someone, which caused me to revise my recipe and method and update the post. Now I always make the dough into four logs. I slice one or two logs straight away and make a yummy batch of hobnobs. The other logs get wrapped in waxed paper and go into the freezer. And you can slice the frozen logs and cook from frozen, so fresh hobnobs are within reach at any time 🙂 So much easier than rolling out, and better results too.
I’m so pleased with this recipe, they are pretty much the only biscuits I make now.
Becky
I’m just wondering what would happen if one were to form the dough into a log, refrigerate (or not), and then slice it? I would do about anything to avoid having to roll out dough!!
Carolyn
Bless you, Anna … these are absolutely scrumptious & are SO much like the original HobNob – I can’t remember any replica recipe that has tasted so much like an original than this one. I made the following changes and can say that they worked well: I used 50 g of regular whole wheat flour in place of the whole wheat pastry flour, and added approx 2-3 T untoasted wheat germ (I didn’t measure it, I just sprinkled it from the container). Thanks for a great recipe. I really enjoy your descriptive, frank and interesting blog!
Natalie
I love this site! My English parents brought me up on (milk) chocolate-covered digestives but I actually prefer Hob Nobs and am looking forward to trying your recipe. Now if only there were a recipe for those chocolate-covered orange sandwich biscuits Cadbury used to make. They disappeared from Canada, tragically, a long time ago.
jennywenny
excellent replica! Nice one!
Jane
I’m a dark chocolate digestive fan myself. They got me through 3 years of college in Scotland!
Central Market carries them again, after not having them for a couple of years. Unfortunately the mark up is exorbitant: they are charging $7 for a package, which is robbery. Whenever I have visitors from England, they bring me choc digestives and tea.
Anna, if you can find a way to reproduce them….I can’t even begin to imagine how happy I would be!!!!
Rosie
OMG!!! I just adore Hob Nobs – thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Rosemary
Growing up in South Africa we only had digestive biscuits and I tasted Hob Nobs for the first time when a friend went overseas and brought back a packet. Hob Nobs are still not something which is readily available (and quite pricey) so digestives are my staple. I am going to try both the recipes – Thank you for this lovely recipe.
Elyse
I can’t wait to make these and send them to the girls with whom I studied in London!! I love HobNobs, but I really love ALL McVittie’s cookies. Their digestives are fabulous–especially if you get the chocolate covered ones. However, they all pale in comparison to the chocolate-covered hob nob. The plain digestives are comparable to the plain hob nob, meaning, add a little chocolate, and everything taste EVEN better!! So glad you shared this recipe.
deeba
Oh I love Hob Nobs…they just take me back to the days we used to visit the UK. I’ve gotto try these soon…Yours look PERFECT!!
Anna
Susan, thanks for trying the recipe. I just emailed you regarding the salt. I used salted butter today and didn’t add any but I’d definitely add salt if I used unsalted.
SUSAN
Okay I made these today. I think they’re GREAT – I think I would take the suggestion and add some wheat germ next time. I did not roll the dough out (b/c I hate to roll things) – I just formed balls and flattened them slightly. They are just perfect and very tasty. Not quite like the store bought but so good. We’re eating them plain. Oh and I added about 1/4 t. salt b/c I like salt.
Jessica "Su Good Sweets"
Thank you, thank you. I’ve never had a hob nob, but I love Digestive Biscuits. I’d like to try both recipes.
Jennifer
Ive never even heard of these but they look and sound great!!!
HeartofGlass
I always adored the name Hobnob–because it sounded vaguely rude or suggestive, without being so, like so many British names.
My favorite British ‘sweet’ was the flapjack but Hobnobs, Digestives…all take me back to when I lived in the UK. I will definitely try these!
Anna
Hello from another Anna! I just came across your blog and am sooo happy I did because I swear, when I make these for my husband, he will think he’s died and gone to heaven. He is one of those Hob Nobs freaks (though he’s pretty happy with McVitie’s, too). I can’t wait to try this recipe…I think your note about the wheatgerm is a good one. I’ve been putting it in everything lately and it adds a nice flaky bite, I find.
Muffy
I’m a big Plain Chocolate Digestives Junkie. Unfortuntely, my fixes are pretty much limited to the Winter months, as the Arizona temperatures preclude Spring, Summer and Fall shipments. I find Hob Nobs a bit too sweet (if there is such a thing).
Anj
I’ve never heard of Hob Nobs either, but these look wonderful. You’ve really made some good looking treats so far this week!
clumbsycookie
Oh wow Anna! When you said you were going to make Hobnobs I didn’t expect the chocolate kind! Those are even better! They now have ones with flavours: banana, orange, etc, with chocolate, but I think only in the UK.
I love both Digestive and Hobnobs, but yes Digestive are a little “blander”, kind of like a Graham Cracker, but very good dipped in milk or tea ;)! You never tasted a Digestive? Want me to send you some?
Sarah
As an American college student posting from the UK, I’d like to say that both HobNobs and Digestives are awesome– even more so the chocolate-covered ones. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Sue
Those look great! I popped over to Eryn’s site to see her recipe too. I wish I understood French! Her Digestives are so cute!
Cerulean
I think Graham crackers are the closest thing to Digestives (if they were round). Digestives are more bland (but that’s no bad thing as they are a pleasing mix of sweet and salty and are often served in cheese cracker selection boxes in the UK) and solid. I love both. HobNobs are relatively new though (last 20 years or so) – and the chocolate is newer still.
bakingblonde
I love new and interesting cookies. These look fantastic. Knowing me I would probably add some peanut butter as well!
Lisa Ernst
I found dark chocolate covered Digestives at an airport on my way back from Dominica (it took us five airports to get back to Nashville). They were really good and I liked that they weren’t as sweet as traditional cookies. The Hobnob recipe is one I’ll save for a future try. I’m going to make your banana chocolate chip bars on Saturday.
unconfidentialcook.com
Yes, I’ve had these, but never thought of making them myself. Until now…
Claire
I’ve been having a hankering for Hob Nobs — ir’s like you read my mind! I can’t wait to try these!
SUSAN
Being originally from Northern England, I adore both Hob Nobs & Digestives and keep both in my pantry at all times (Thank you Cost Plus World Market for stocking these!). I can’t wait to try this homemade version. I usually eat my digestives and hob nobs either naked or with plain (dark) chocolate. Delicious!!!!
VeggieGirl
yum!! never heard of them before though, haha 😀
dawn
:::printing:::
I love, no, LOVE Hob Nobs!
Katrina
Great looking cookie, sorry to say I’ve never even heard of them. (Never been to Europe though, is that a good excuse?)
Agnete
Oh. My. Good.
I am obsessed with Hob Nobs and have tried countless recipes over the years. But I have never been really close. I am very enthused by this recipe. Perhaps adding a little rye flour (like the original) will add some great texture?