GD's famous biscuits

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Granny Dear agrees to share the chocolate chippie recipe she’s been making for 60 or so years. Justine Tyerman tells the story of the famous biscuits . . .

When the bride-to-be requested chocolate chippies for her wedding last year, her grandmother — Annette Tyerman known as Granny Dear — assumed they were for lunch the day after.

Little did she realise they would take pride-of-place up there with the fancy sweets and desserts at the wedding breakfast.

In fact, they were not in pride-of-place for long. Such is the reputation of these biscuits that they vanished well before any of the other gourmet sweets were even touched. They’re famous!

When the next grand-daughter was married this year, the famous chocolate chippies were again requested and duly made by Granny Dear (GD), now aged 95.

Again, the biscuits were devoured so fast the bride and groom would have missed out had I not purloined a couple and hidden them.

GD’s chocolate chippies are a tradition in our family. Boxes of them have accompanied our daughters to pre-school, school, university and even overseas so they had to feature at their weddings.

GD, who has always been a great cook, thinks she began making the biscuits when she was in her 30s. The recipe has been passed down through the generations . . . but no-one makes them quite like Granny Dear.

INGREDIENTS:

250g butter, softened

3 tblsp sweetened condensed milk

¾ cup white sugar

1½ cups flour

1½ cups rolled oats

1 tsp baking powder

200g dark chocolate buttons or chocolate chips

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 180C.

• Line two baking trays with baking paper or coat with non-stick baking spray.

• Beat butter, condensed milk and sugar together until light and creamy.

• Add flour, rolled oats, baking powder and chocolate buttons and mix well.

• Place spoonfuls of the mixture on the prepared baking trays, flatten and cook for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

• Cool on a wire cake rack.

• Store in an airtight container.

- Makes 24