Nut‑Free Chocolate Chip Biscuits
Buttery, crisp-edged biscuits studded with chocolate chips — reliably nut free and perfect for lunchboxes.
These are everyday, nut‑free chocolate chip biscuits — crisp at the edges with soft chewier centres. They’re a brilliant lunchbox bake and reliable when you need a dozen or two in a hurry.
The trick is simple: cream the butter and sugars properly, chill the dough so the biscuits don’t run, then don’t overbake. Perfect with a cuppa or packed in a tin for colleagues who must avoid nuts.
Ingredients
- 220 g unsalted butter — softened
- 110 g caster sugar
- 110 g light brown soft sugar
- 1 free-range egg — large
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 330 g plain flour
- 5 ml bicarbonate of soda
- 5 ml baking powder
- 5 ml fine salt
- 180 g chocolate chips — buy nut‑free labelled chocolate if you need guaranteed nut‑free
Equipment
- hand mixer (or wooden spoon if mixing by hand)
- kitchen scales
- cooling rack
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Sift the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and fine salt into a bowl and whisk briefly to combine.
In a large bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter with the caster sugar and light brown soft sugar until pale and fluffy — about 3–4 minutes with a hand mixer or 5–7 minutes by hand.
Beat in the free-range egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated and the mixture looks smooth.
Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture with a spatula until almost combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. Stop as soon as there are no dry streaks — overworking will make tough biscuits.
Scrape the dough into a bowl, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up — this controls spread and improves texture.
Scoop level tablespoons (about 30 g each) of dough and roll lightly into balls. Place on the prepared baking trays, leaving 4–5 cm between biscuits for spreading. Press a few extra chocolate chips onto the tops for appearance if you like.
Bake one tray at a time in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes — start checking at 10 minutes. The edges should be golden while the centres still look slightly soft; they will firm as they cool.
Leave the biscuits on the baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Once cool, store the biscuits in an airtight tin for up to 5 days. If stacking, separate layers with baking paper to protect the tops.
Tips
- Buy chocolate chips labelled nut‑free if you need a guaranteed nut‑free product — many popular brands are made in factories handling nuts.
- If you want chewier biscuits, use 20 g scoops and bake for the same time; for crisper biscuits, flatten the dough balls slightly before baking.
- Make the dough ahead and freeze scooped balls on a tray; transfer to a bag once solid. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the time.
- If the butter is too soft and your kitchen is warm, pop the filled tray in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking to reduce spread.
- Room‑temperature egg mixes in more evenly; take the egg out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start if possible.
Substitutions
unsalted butter → unsalted block vegetable spread, same weight
Noticeably differentlight brown soft sugar → muscovado sugar, same weight
Stays closechocolate chips → roughly chopped plain chocolate, 180 g
Stays closefree-range egg → flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, set 10 min)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 190
- Calories
- 2 g
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
- Sugar
- 60 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make these dairy‑free as well as nut‑free?
Yes — substitute the unsalted butter for a dairy‑free block baking spread and check the chocolate is dairy‑free. Texture will be a little different but still delicious.
Why do my biscuits spread too much?
Most likely the dough was too warm or butter too soft. Chill the dough for 30 minutes (or longer) before baking and avoid over‑creaming in a very warm kitchen.
Can I freeze the biscuits?
Yes. Freeze baked biscuits in an airtight container for up to 1 month. To freeze dough, scoop balls onto a tray, freeze until solid, then bag for up to 3 months; bake from frozen with a minute or two extra time.
How do I get softer centres?
Slightly underbake them: remove from the oven when the edges are set and the centres still look a touch soft; they’ll firm up while cooling.
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