Pretty Little Chocolate-Covered Digestive Cookies

Change can be hard to digest. Yet, proper digestion remains critical to our overall health, both physical and mental. Maybe that’s why I thought this was a good time to make some Chocolate-Covered Digestive Cookies. These semi-sweet cookies are made from a dough that is rich in whole grains. The dough holds its shape through baking and produces a pretty cutout cookie to enjoy plain or topped with chocolate.

A Lot to Digest

These past few weeks I have been out of town. For the first time in over a year, I boarded a plane and embarked on some long overdue travel. First, I went to Kentucky to visit family I haven’t seen in well over a year. Last week I was in Texas making connections that have been on hold for just as long.

It has been an adventure. At times this long avoided exposure to the world feels overwhelming. Other times the mixed messaging and uncertainties are frustrating. More often, however, getting out in the world again feels natural. It is, after all, refreshing to spread my wings after feeling contained for so long.

Overall, I’d say it is a lot to digest. These last few weeks on the road, not to mention the past 14 months of the pandemic, have filled my head with a lot of unsorted bits and pieces. Back home, sitting here with my coffee, I have a small plate of digestive cookies on the table to help me process. Their name and history suggest they are designed for the task at hand.  

Breaking Things Down

Digestion is, after all, the process of converting input from the world around us into a form we can assimilate. Like food in our body, we have to break down the information we gather into simpler pieces that we can soak up and incorporate. That takes a certain amount of thoughtful attention, a space in which to settle and find balance. For me, it is accomplished in my own sweet thyme.

I was in Paducah, KY when the CDC announced the fully vaccinated no longer need to wear face masks indoors or out. My first reaction was excitement to hear the clarity of unmuffled voices. It was also a pleasure to see the beautiful faces of those around me.

While a relief, the change in guidelines is also confusing. After hearing the announcement, I walked from our hotel to a bakery for breakfast. I wore a mask as I entered. Most of the line waiting to order was maskless and talkative. Cautiously I removed my mask and placed my order.  

Pastry in hand I walked through an interior door from the bakery to the coffee shop next door. There the barista looked startled at my entry and urged me to take a mask from the box of disposables near the door.  When I mentioned that morning’s news from the CDC, fellow customers looked on with disapproval. One spoke to me as if I were a wayward teenager. He insisted that wearing a mask was a matter of respect.  

Picking Up the Pieces

Back in Oregon I see fewer masks outdoors. At the entry to most businesses, however, signs still ask for masks to be worn. In Texas, by contrast, the door signs assure us that masks are optional for those who’ve been vaccinated.  I’m not sure where hard earned natural immunity falls into the balance but I am trying to keep my curiosity in check.  

And then there are the airports and public transportation. The airlines tell us to mask up, except when eating or drinking. “Federal law requires it,” the napkin that comes with my drink assures me, though the CDC, a federal agency, says that fully vaccinated adults can safely resume activities without masks or distancing.

It’s really no surprise that picking up the pieces of what we laid down last year isn’t easy. In fact it is stressful and unsettling. There are many things we’ve lost. Others we have successfully worked around. And then there’s what we’ve found. There are the things we’ve sadly missed and those we realize we never needed at all. 

And now, as we begin to clean up the mess and repack for the journey ahead, there are so many new things we’ve accumulated that we must either toss out or stow in our carry-ons: the masks, the hand sanitizer, the instacart subscriptions, the redundant sweatpants, the uncertainty, the existential dread. 

Digestive Cookies – Settling on a Recipe

All of these changes can be hard to digest. Yet, proper digestion remains critical to our overall health, both physical and mental. Maybe that’s why I thought this was a good time to try my sister-in-law’s recipe for Chocolate-Covered Digestive Cookies.

Digestive biscuits, or cookies, have long been a favorite in Britain. They are among the simple pleasures I discovered while traveling in England. In fact Chocolate Digestives, first introduced by McVitie’s nearly one hundred years ago, remain Britain’s best-loved biscuit, year after year. While this may have little to do with their digestive attributes, there was a time when such benefits were central to their marketing campaigns.

Some believe these appealing biscuits were first sold as “digestives” because they contain bicarbonate of soda, long thought to relieve indigestion. Others say the claim to aid digestion was based on the recipe’s inclusion of whole grains. According to The Foods of England Project, a similar biscuit sold in Britain nearly two hundred years ago advertised its healthful qualities with a claim that it possessed “the greatest amount of farinaceous nutriment that can possibly be concentrated into a biscuit.” 

Though the health benefits of digestive cookies may no longer be the point, when my sister-in-law made these Chocolate-Covered Digestive Cookies for my brother he claimed they helped to settle his stomach. He and my sister-in-law also agree this recipe makes the best and most authentic British digestive biscuit they have ever made.

Perfect for Dunking

Whatever the basis for their wholesome name, these pretty little Digestive Cookies are well worth trying. Whether it is for the settling effect of the baking soda, the quantity of fiber-rich whole grains or simply the practice of reflecting on the days events over a cup of tea or coffee and a cookie or two, it is worth the effort.

What’s more, these tasty little Chocolate-Covered Digestives are now one of my favorite cookies. Like their namesake, they are packed with the whole grain goodness of oats and whole wheat flour. They have a nice crumbly texture, but not too crumbly, making them perfect for dunking. And, best of all, they are only mildly sweet, allowing these humble Digestive Cookies to delight without tasting intense or cloying. To take it up a notch, I topped some with a layer of dark chocolate. Great for dipping, dunking, or snacking, these semi-sweet gems also pair well with fruit or cheese.

Wholesome Homemade Digestive Cookies

The recipe is fairly uncomplicated. The dough goes together easily with the help of a food processor.  It rolls out nicely and lends itself to shaping with cookie cutters, as it isn’t sticky. I cut out some circles, as the recipe suggested. When I saw that the dough was easy to work with I also cut out little bees and flowers using pie crust cutters, those little cookie cutters that have a lot of detail and a little plunger on the back to neatly push the dough out. 

I was glad to see that the dough also held its shape through baking. Since the cookies didn’t spread the details from the cookie cutters remained sharp and attractive. In fact I thought they turned out so pretty that I used only a little chocolate to enhance their appearance. I left the bees plain, added only dots to the center of the flowers and squiggles of chocolate to some of the rounds.

On the other hand, I like chocolate! And since the recipe is for Chocolate-Covered Digestive Cookies I also coated quite a few of the rounds with a full layer of chocolate. To accomplish this, I melted dark chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth. Then I placed the melted chocolate in a Ziploc bag. After snipping off a lower corner of the bag, I piped the chocolate on top of the cookies and smoothed it across the top with a small spatula.