Does anyone really reach for the Digestive when presented with a biscuit tin? Not the chocolate covered, or the dark chocolate covered or even the caramel-then-chocolate covered Digestives, but the plain old ‘hello I’m an average biscuit’ Digestive. Not as weak as the Rich Tea but not as sturdy as a Hob Nob, a Digestive seems to be the middle ground ‘meh’ biscuit, the kind that rattles around the bottom of the tin with a softening Custard Cream and a broken bourbon.I’m more of a dark chocolate Hob Nob, Tunnocks Teacake and Jammy Dodger kind of girl.

The only time I ever really remember enjoying a Digestive was when there was two, a toasted marshmallow with blackened blisters forced between them, the smell of burning wood and smokey hot chocolate from the Girl Guide campfire swirling in the in the air. We sang songs cuddled in handmade blanket ponchos with various badges sewn on the front, neatly or haphazardly depending on whether your mum or you had the needle in hand. And we waited for bananas wrapped in tin foil parcels to emerge from the bin fire’s embers, burning hot squares of dairy milk sandwiched between softened sliced fruit, the texture of an overripe pear. Despite finding them an incredibly boring biscuit, I find that when conjuring memories of eight Guide camps spent sleeping in layers of pajamas and blankets in canvas tents in a field near a power station, Digestives raise a smile. Possibly because of the so-toasted-it’s-burnt marshmallow.

I think all that changed when I made homemade Digestives for the first time as part of The Little Loaf’s blog tour following the release of her first book Homemade Memories. As with most things, that handmade touch gives any sweet treat the edge on its ready-made competitor and I’ve made the recipe so many times I can do with without the book in front of me. Which lead me one Saturday afternoon to discover the alchemy of a packet of pistachios, an open bar of 70% chocolate, a scoop of coconut oil and a sprinkle or so of salt transformed the biscuit into something quite grown up that would never be the last to leave the tin.There is subtlety in the biscuit itself with freshly ground pistachios, tiny flecks of green amongst crumbly spelt flour, butter and oats mixed to a sticky dough with treacly tastes of muscovado sugar and a good dose of salt. Chocolate melts with coconut oil to create a glossy sheen for Digestives to dive into and given a final flourish with a sprinkling of pistachios chopped into a mix of dust and nuggets with sparkling with slivers of sea salt. For me, this is how Digestives should be enjoyed, homemade and with little grown up touches. Although I will always be partial to a burnt marshmallow sandwich.

Adapted from The Little Loaf