Ok, so if your beloved pussy approached you for a friendly lick and offered a tongue as mis-shapen as any of the examples below, you’d probably recoil with disdain, bundle it into a sack and rush it to the nearest canal vet.
In our defence, this was our first attempt at such butter-rich chocolate-filled biscuits, so perhaps these errant little dainties were fashioned more by enthusiasm then precision. Don’t be fooled by appearances though, whatever shape they end up, these are guaranteed to be delicious.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Skill level: pretty easy
Makes: 16
Ingredients
For the biscuits
- icing sugar – 100g
- softened butter – 100g
- vanilla extract – 1 tsp
- 2 large egg whites
- plain flour – 120g
For the ganache
- 70% cocoa plain chocolate – 90g
- double cream – 3 tbsp
- icing sugar – 1 tbsp
Start by preheating your oven to 200C (gas mark 6) and lining a baking sheet with non-stick paper.
Beat together the sugar, butter and vanilla until fluffy.
Next beat in the egg whites and then fold in the flour.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle
Pipe the mixture on to the sheet, in 32 x 5cm fingers.
Bake for 6–8 minutes, until the edges are brown.
Leave to cool
For the ganache, break the chocolate into pieces and put it in a heat-proof bowl with the cream. Place the bowl over a pan of very hot water.
When the chocolate is half-melted, take the bowl off the pan.
Stir the chocolate until it has entirely melted and then beat the mixture as it cools.
Spread 1 tsp of ganache on a biscuit.
Place another biscuit on top, pressing down gently.
Repeat with the rest of the biscuits.
Leave in the fridge for an hour to set, then dust lightly with the icing sugar before serving.
Verdict: Velvety chocolate sandwiched between two butter-rich biscuits. Delicate and delish.
Drink: These go equally well with either a hearty red or a nice cup of tea.
Entertainment: The beautiful and touching ‘Let the Right One In‘ on DVD.