TRIPLE CHOCOLATE & COINTREAU BISCUITS , contains alcohol, an Indulgence, NOT healthy

Another darkly delicious biscuit for the sophisticated cookie-muncher 

Irresistable Triple Chocolate & Cointreau Beauties
'Lovely texture; I love the way they dissolve in the mouth.' 20-something taster from down-under 

These wonderful, delicate biscuits are a delight for adults looking for something sweet but sophisticated.  They're a cross between a shortbread and gorgeously sandy Viennese biscuits and they're ever-so-easy to make.  

Ingredients are in relatively small amounts for small households or a few guests but the recipe is easily multiplied. Cornflour can be replaced by rice flour though the cookies become a little more solid.

The tiny amount of Cointreau is obviously an option.  It can be dispensed with altogether or replaced with whisky or brandy. The only two healthy aspects are the relatively low added sugar and the lack of preservatives but they are more than cancelled out by the amount of butter and chocolate, and the alcohol!

Cost: £2.00
Makes: 12 medium sized biscuits

Ingred:

   100 gms/3.5 oz softened unsalted butter (zap it in the microwave for 20 sec if you haven't taken it out of the fridge overnight)
     25g/0.9oz icing sugar, sifted

    1/2 tsp vanilla extractî
    finely grated rind of a med orange

     45 gm/1.5 oz flour sifted
     30gm/1 oz cocoa (not drinking chocolate) sifted
     25 gm/3/4 oz cornflour or rice flour, sifted
     1/2 tsp baking powder 
     
     small handful dark chocolate chips or chopped dark baking chocolate 

     Icing:
       3-4 squares white baking chocolate (it needs to be baking chocolate; white chocolate bars are nasty when melted)

       1 tablespoon icing sugar
       a scant tablespoon cocoa
       a scant tablespoon cointreau (opt)

       
Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350f/180c/170f/gas4
2. Beat butter till it's soft and broken down using whisk or hand held beaters (about half a minute) 
3. Add icing sugar; whisk till almost white, 2-3 mins
4. Add vanilla and orange zest, beat till blended
5. Sift flour, cocoa, corn/rice flour and baking powder together; add with chocolate chips to cookie batter
6. Beat until just mixed; scrape the bowl with a spatula at least once so that everything at the bottom is incorporated
7. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, sticking the corners down with a bit of cookie dough on the underside
8. Using a small hinged ice cream scoop (1.3 inches/4cm at widest point) or a tablespoon, drop dough onto tray, leaving a med space between
9. Bake in the centre of the oven 10-15 mins (12 mins is about right if using ice cream scoop)
10. Leave on the tray on a rack until completely cool before removing from tray
11. Zap white chocolate in microwave in 10 second bursts or melt in a bowl over but not touching simmering until liquid.
12. Remove from heat; drizzle over biscuits in parallel-ish lines with a small spoon
13. Sift icing sugar and cocoa together; add cointreau and stir until smooth and flowing; if necessary add a drop more of liquid but don't let the mix get sloppy (if you do, you'll have to add more icing sugar and then possibly more liquid and maybe more cocoa and so on until you lose the will to live!!)
14. Dribble chocolate cointreau icing in the opposite direction of the white chocolate 

Comments:

"Really good; I can taste the contreau. I like the crunchy top and moist middle.' 30 -something trainee barrister 

'Good!' London underground driver

Tips:

• the recipe was inspired by Great British Bake-Off's Martha Williamson, writing in Waitrose's weekly newspaper
• 67 prefers Morrisons own-brand dark, white, and milk baking chocolate -- £1 for 150 gms
• kids probably won't like these; they're not very sweet; maybe chocolate shortbread for them?

                            More chocolate biccies on NavBar:Recipes1/Cookies...

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.