The Great British Bake Off 2023: Pinch of Nom Biscuit Recipes
If you’re asking, what theme is it on The Great British Bake Off this week? Don’t worry – we’ve got all the answers. We’re still buzzing with excitement that the gang is back in the Bake Off tent, ready for…Biscuit Week!
In the last episode we saw a wildly colourful showstopper round, with the bakers crafting lots of animals from cake, but we have a feeling the final challenge will be quite different this week. We don’t doubt there’ll be at least one tall (slightly wobbly), biscuit-built tower that has us on the edge of our seats!
Paul and Prue will be on the lookout for that perfect snap, just the right amount of crunch and interesting flavours to get the taste buds tingling.
So, as we sit down to watch episode 2 of The Great British Bake Off 2023, we’ll be needing a selection of biscuity slimming-friendly snacks to keep us company.
Our lighter versions of crumbly cookies and other sweet treats are so good, they’d earn you that infamous Hollywood handshake. On your marks, get set, bake!
Classic Cookies
We’ve rounded up a couple of classic biscuit recipes – with a Pinch of Nom twist, of course! Perfect for your signature bake, making one of these recipes in the tent would be considered playing it safe.
Our yummy cookies are perfect for anyone counting calories – they’re much lighter than the ones that will be being crafted in the Bake Off tent.
While the bakers might opt for rich, buttery biscuits with luxurious creamy toppings, our versions have been given a Nom makeover. Simple swaps like low fat spread and low calorie sweetener mean that you can enjoy your favourite biscuits, and still reach your slimming goals.
These Double Choc Chip Cookies are the perfect example! While chocolate on chocolate sounds impossibly indulgent, these biscuits are easy to make and just 40 calories each.
Delicious and perfect for dunking in your tea, they’ll keep your chocolate craving at bay while Noel Fielding is busy quizzing the GBBO bakers about their creations.
You can play around with this recipe too, if you want to pretend you’re trying to impress the judges. Why not try using dark chocolate chips or even white chocolate?
You could even chop up some nuts if you fancied giving the cookie a little more texture. Just don’t forget to adjust the calories accordingly.
The Great British Bake Off loves a mashup of flavours, so these Apple Pie Cookies would be a great signature bake. A cross between a crumbly cookie and an apple pie, they can be a snack, dessert or even breakfast.
Infused with subtle cinnamon and vanilla, there’s something satisfyingly autumnal about these that makes them a dreamy treat to enjoy in front of the TV.
These gorgeous little Jammy Hearts always taste their best when they’re shared with loved ones, friends or colleagues. Golden and crunchy with a sticky, sweet, jam centre, we’ve kept them lovely and buttery, for only 48 calories per heart-shaped cookie.
There was no getting away from using unsalted butter for this recipe, since a reduced-fat spread doesn’t work the same velvety magic!
By making a couple of other nifty slimming-friendly swaps, such as half granulated sweetener and sugar, we’ve lightened things up without letting them lose their scrumptious crunch.
Biscuity Bites
It might be biscuit week but we believe in getting a little creative, and thinking outside the box. Just because they’re making cookies on the show, doesn’t mean you can’t be tucking into these Chocolate Rice Crispy Bites.
If you’re not someone who’s big on biscuits, these are a great alternative, and they’re a chocolate lover’s dream.
In fact, they’ve got it all – crispy texture and rich chocolate, plus they only take 5 minutes to prepare and each bite is just 30 calories.
They might not be fancy enough to be crowned star bake of The Great British Bake Off 2023 but they’ll more than do for satisfying your sweet tooth!
The Bake Off judges are guaranteed to be blown away by our Millionaire’s Shortbread recipe. To get to the gorgeous, short-bread style biscuit at the bottom, you’ll need to bite your way through a top layer of sticky caramel, drizzled with melted milk chocolate.
Our ‘caramel’ is made with a couple of surprising ingredients: light, double cream alternative and melted sugar-free toffees. We find that Werther’s Original Sugar-Free Creamy Toffees work the best!
Sweet treat, cereal bar or a tasty snack? We think these Marshmallow Bars are all of the above! Okay, so they’re not exactly a biscuit, but they’ve got all the prerequisites – they’re sweet, crunchy and go so well with a cuppa.
We can’t think of anything else we’d rather be scoffing as we try to guess which baker’s biscuit tower will be the first to collapse.
How about a recipe that uses a biscuit? These Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries are a slimming friendly snack with a biscuity twist. We’ve used a digestive for ours but you can use your favourite biscuit to make the cheesecake crumbs.
Try a gingernut, bourbon or even an oaty Hobnob. Just remember to adjust the calories if you’re watching what you eat.
Biscoff Bakes
We couldn’t write about biscuit recipes without mentioning our new-favourite biscuit. Lotus Biscoff biscuits are having a moment right now – and Biscoff recipes are everywhere! From ice creams and milkshakes to baked desserts, we’re obsessed with the malty, caramelised flavour.
These Biscoff Swirls might be more likely to be found on pastry week, but we’re making an exception. They only need three ingredients and in under half an hour you’ll have golden brown swirls of flaky pastry, flavoured with biscuity Lotus spread.
Put the kettle on, grab one of these fresh from the oven and get settled in front of the telly, ready for the infamous shout of ‘On your marks, get set, bake’!
If that’s not enough Biscoff for you, this Biscoff Cookie Milkshake should do the trick! It uses the biscuit as well as the spread for double Biscoff-y goodness.
Thick and creamy, you’d think this luxurious drink was far more indulgent than it really is – it comes in at just 225 calories.
Basically a dessert in a glass, you’ll want to finish your dinner and save this to enjoy in peace as you watch the tension build in the Bake Off tent.
We firmly believe that each episode of The Great British Bake Off is an event to be celebrated – an event worthy of this show stopping Biscoff Cheesecake!
If you’re a true Biscoff fanatic, it doesn’t get better than this. You get a crumbly, buttery Biscoff base, creamy, caramel infused cheesecake layer and a rich Biscoff spread drizzle – all for 234 calories a slice. Yes really!
You’ll be kneeling in front of your oven Bake-Off-style as this cooks. Just remember to let it bake low and slow and take it out when it’s firm around the edges but still has a little bit of a wobble in the centre. Much easier to do without Paul Hollywood breathing down your neck.
Which baker are you backing?
Did you tune into Bake Off last week? Whose cake got your mouth watering? Hopefully you had our Pinch of Nom Cake Recipes on hand to soothe your sweet tooth as you were mesmerised by the baking triumphs and disasters.
As The Great British Bake Off 2023 continues, we’ll have you covered with slimming friendly snacks to curb the cravings while you watch along.
What’s your ultimate biscuit recipe? Let us know over on our Facebook Group! It’s the perfect place to discuss your slimming journey and find motivation from the wonderful PON community. There are already almost 1 million members ready to inspire and support you. Come join the fun!