Ringo’s Biscuits – Italian Chocolate and Vanilla Sandwich Biscuits

Today I have a recipe for you that is inspired by my trips to Italy. Every time I go I obviously have to go to the supermarket and try all the chocolates, cakes and biscuits on offer that I am unfamiliar with from home. Over the years one of my favourite Italian biscuits have become Ringo’s! They are made of one chocolate and vanilla biscuit that are sandwiches with either a vanilla or chocolate buttercream. They are absolutely delicious, and I could easily eat several of these with a cup of tea – they are also perfect for dunking!

How to make Ringo’s Biscuits

Making these Ringo’s biscuits isn’t overly complicated, but they are small and fiddly which can make this a slightly time-consuming business. First of all, you will need to make one vanilla and one chocolate biscuit dough. The dough is then chilled in the fridge before being rolled out and cut into rounds. Ringo’s biscuits are quite small and have a circular imprint around their edges with an “R” stamped into the middle. Here, I used a 4cm round biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits and then used a 3cm cutter to lightly press down onto the biscuits, not cutting all the way through but just creating a ring around the edges. If you wanted to go all out you could also add the “R” in the middle 😉.

Finally, the biscuits are sandwiched with a chocolate or vanilla buttercream. I like both options so have given you a recipe below to create Ringo’s where half are filled with chocolate, and the other half with vanilla buttercream. However, if you would prefer, you could only make one version. To do so, don’t half the buttercream and then add double the amount of icing sugar & vanilla/cocoa powder stated below.

More Delicious Biscuit Recipes

I do love a good homemade biscuit and I have loads of easy and delicious recipes on my blog. For more inspiration of recipes to try, why don’t you check out some of my favourites below:

• Mary Berry’s Viennese Whirls
• Best-ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Paul’s Wagon Wheel Biscuits
• Chocolate and Hazelnut Shortbread dipped in Chocolate | Haselnussbrot
• Traditional Scottish Shortbread
• Millionaire’s Shortbread | British Baking Classic
• Love Heart Sandwich Biscuits filled with Cherry Jam
• Chocolate Digestives | British Baking Classic
• Mixed Nut Butter Cookies (Vegan/Dairy-free)
• Maple and Walnut Biscuits
• Gingernut Biscuits | British Baking Classic
• Chocolate Orange Crescents | German Christmas Baking
• Mini Egg Cookies
• Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cookies
• Almond Shortbread Fingers

Ringo’s Biscuits – Italian Chocolate and Vanilla Sandwich Biscuits

Recipe

Ingredients (makes ~45 biscuits):

FOR THE VANILLA BISCUITS

• 150g plain flour
• 60g caster sugar
• 90g butter, slightly softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 medium egg yolk

FOR THE CHOCOLATE BISCUITS

• 120g plain flour
• 30g cocoa powder
• 60g caster sugar
• 90g butter, slightly softened
• 1 medium egg yolk

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 150g butter, softened
• 250g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 40g cocoa powder

YOU WILL ALSO NEED

• Clingfilm + baking paper
• 2-3 baking trays
• 4cm round biscuit cutter
• 3cm round biscuit cutter (optional)

Method

1. To make the vanilla biscuit dough, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with an electric whisk or by hand until everything comes together in a smooth dough. Shape the dough into a large ball and flatten slightly, before wrapping in in clingfilm.
2. Repeat the same to make the chocolate biscuit dough and wrap in clingfilm. Chill both biscuit doughs in the fridge for about 30 minutes until firm.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan and line 2-3 baking trays with baking paper.
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until 4-5mm thick. Use a 4cm round biscuit cutter to cut as many biscuits from both doughs as you can, then place them on the prepared baking trays. For optional decoration, use the 3cm to gently push down on the biscuits to create an imprint around the edges of the biscuits.
5. Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until golden-brown. Leave to cool on the trays for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. To make the buttercream, place the slightly softened butter into a mixing bowl and beat for 5-10 minutes with an electric hand mixer until pale and fluffy. Gradually add 200g of the sifted icing sugar, about 2-3 tbsp at a time, and mix until evenly incorporated.
7. Roughly divide the buttercream mixture between two bowls to make one vanilla and one chocolate buttercream. Add the vanilla extract and the remaining 50g icing sugar to one bowl, and the sifted cocoa powder to the other. Mix well until the buttercream reaches a smooth and thick, yet spreadable consistency. If the buttercream is too stiff, add a tiny bit of milk at a time to slacken it, and if it is too soft, add a little more icing sugar until you achieve the right consistency.
8. Once the biscuits have cooled completely, sandwich one vanilla and one chocolate biscuit with around 1 tsp of either chocolate or vanilla buttercream. Once you have filled all the biscuits, chill them in the fridge for 10 minutes to help firm up the butter. Then enjoy your Ringo biscuits with a cup of tea and store the remaining biscuits in an air-tight container!