These lovely crisp biscuits stuffed with chocolate cream and a splodge of rich jam are the perfect treat for a birthday or Valentine's Day. Or both at the same time!
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| This first test of these biscuts needs a bit of work; the dough needs to be thicker for one thing! But the taste and texture? Magnificent! |
The shortbread hearts are a variation of the splendid budget bottom-of-the-barrel shortbread which needs only four inexpensive ingredients.
With just a few clever additions, they look and taste like artisan baking and won't break the bank.
If you can find tear-shaped valentine cookie cutters, well and good (the blog's came from you-know-who a couple of years ago) but really any heart-shaped cutter or, indeed, any shape cutter will do.
Like all shortbreads, the biscuits are easy-peasy; an older child could handle it without problems.
The cream filling - which is made the day before needed - might require a little more attention but even if the result looks a bit sloppy, it won't affect the delicious-ness.
The amount multiples easily.
100gm/3.5oz soft salted butter
90 ml double cream
a few tablespoons of good strawberry or raspberry jam
- Using electric beaters, whip butter until structure breaks down (a few seconds); beat in sugar until pale & fluffy - a few minutes; blend in vanilla
- Add flour gradually; beat until clumps of dough form; gather them together into a ball; clingfilm, refrigerate at least 1 hour (OR freeze; when ready to bake, defrost overnight)
- Preheat oven to 170c/325f
- Roll out dough between two pieces of greaseproof paper lightly scattered with cocoa powder, to the thickness of a one-pound coin.
- Cut out biscuits with a cookie cutter dipped in flour, saving scraps.
- Lift the cookies onto the cooking tray with a lightly floured palette knife. Re-roll scraps and repeat.
- Cut a small heart or other shape in the centre of half the biscuits; the plain biscuits will be the bottom half of a cookie sandwich; the cookies with a heart cut-out will be the top.
- Bake 10 mins or until brown at the edges; cool completely
- Just before serving, take a bottom biscuit and pipe or spoon a line of filling (method below) close to but not touching the outer edge
- Drop a scant 1/3 tsp of strawberry jam in the centre; cover with a top biscuit; lighrtly squash
- If using a chocolate bar, chop finely; set aside
- Heat cream in a small heavy bottomed saucepan; when tiny bubbles appear at the outer edge of the pot and steam starts rising, it is ready (don't let it boil).
- Take off the heat; add chocolate in 3 stages, whisking each time until the previous addition has melted before adding the next
- Pour into a heatproof bowl & clingfilm. Cool; beat with electric beaters until thick and soft textured refrigerate at least a couple of hours
- Take out of fridge; spread or pipe onto biscuit base
- dairy butter gives best flavour but margarine or vegan butter will do
This recipe has been adapted by B Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be used commercially without the author's written permission.
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