Homemade Squiggles
Updated: Nov 5, 2020
Makes about 30. Takes the better part of a morning. This is a gluten free recipe, but can be easily made with wheat flour - see notes below.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the best biscuit of New Zealand. The Squiggle is a wonderful work of art by the biscuit company Griffins. There are two versions, the type I chose to make is the original. Its a plain sugar cookie, topped with golden syrup buttercream, and pieces of hokey pokey (or honeycomb) then dipped in Chocolate, and then iced with more chocolate. Of course, there is no gluten free version - so I made my own. Here is a side by side comparison:
I know, pretty darn impressive. The only thing about making these biscuits is there are quite a few steps. It's not technically difficult in anyway, it's just a lot of layers, and a lot of chilling time.
Let's break it down.
The base biscuit -This is a very plain biscuit that isn't very sweet. What you want from it is a good crunch. It's all about the texture.
Buttercream - very easy butter cream with a little bit of golden syrup
Hokey Pokey (or honeycomb) - the most exciting part to make! If you've never made this before, it's less something you bake, more of a chemical reaction.
Chocolate Shell - this is just melted chocolate with coconut oil to make sure it hardens.
The SQUIGGLE - this was the only part that gave me trouble. White chocolate behaves a little differently when melting, and there is a very short window of opportunity to get it right when adding food colouring. Have a few extra white chocolate buttons on hand when making.
R E C I P E
I N G R E D I E N T S
Biscuit
70 grams butter
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup of plain gluten free flour
1 Tbsp of milk
1/4 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
NB: If you want to make Squiggles with regular flour, swap the gf flour for normal flour, and don't use any xanthan gum.
Buttercream
50 grams butter
1 cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp golden syrup
1 Tbsp milk
2 drops of orange food colouring
Hokey Pokey
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp white sugar
1 Tbsp golden syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
Chocolate Shell
200 grams milk chocolate
1 Tbsp coconut oil
The Squiggle
80 grams white chocolate buttons
2 drops of orange food colouring
M E T H O D
Make the biscuit: Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the flour, milk, baking powder, and xanthan gum and mix again until you can form a ball.
Wrap the ball in cling film and put into fridge for half and hour.
When chilled, dust a surface with flour, and roll out dough until about 3mm thick.
Using a ridged cookie cutter about 4-5cm in diameter, cut out cookies until you have used all the dough.
Place on a lined baking tray, and bake at 180° celsius for 10 minutes, or until golden around the edges. You may need to do this in 2 lots. Once cooked, let the cookies cool completely.
Make the buttercream: combine softened butter, icing sugar, milk, golden syrup, and orange food colouring and beat until combined. Preferably with an electric beater, but if you are determined, you can hand whisk it. Leave in fridge until assembly.
Make the Hokey Pokey: Prepare by setting up a timer, and a tray lined with baking paper.
In a pot on the stove, combine the sugars and the golden syrup and mix until together until it starts to boil.
When it's bubbling away, set your timer for 90 seconds, and leave it.
At 90 seconds, quickly mix in the baking soda. It should rise and turn light golden. Immediately remove from pot and spread onto the lined baking tray.
Take a deep breath, you've done it. Pop it in the freezer for an hour so it's easier to break apart. Have a cup of tea, we are about halfway there.
Once it's chilled, take the hokey pokey out of the freezer, put it into a zip lock bag and smash it with a rolling pin until its broken into little nuggets.
Make the chocolate shell: Once everything is chilled, melt the chocolate and the coconut oil in a bowl over top of a pot of boiling water.
Take it off the heat once melted and let it slightly cool while you assemble the biscuits.
Assemble the biscuits: Take a biscuit and cover it with about half a teaspoon of butter cream and a sprinkle of hokey pokey and then dip it into the melted chocolate, and set on a tray lined with baking paper.
Repeat with all of the biscuits and then place in the fridge for an hour so they can set.
Make the SQUIGGLE: Melt the white chocolate buttons in a bowl over a pot of boiling water.
Once they are nearly all melted remove from heat and add a drop or two of orange food colouring and mix. If you add to much the chocolate will begin to thicken and you will need to start again.
Put the melted chocolate into a piping bag with a very thin nozzle and then SQUIGGLE.
Return to fridge and let them set for another hour or so and then eat. Keep refrigerated, or in a cool pantry. Have a sit down, you've earned it.
If you'd like to check out some of my other New Zealand Bakes have a look at my Lolly Cake, Caramel Square, and Lamington recipes. If you have any other New Zealand favourites that you'd like me to un-gluten - send me a message and I'll happily take on the challenge (mint slice biscuits and mince and cheese pies are already in the works).