With only 10 days until Valentine's Day, Karla Goodwin of BLUEBELLS CAKERY shares with us her favourite Valentine's Day inspired recipe - Belgian Biscuits!
There’s something quite special about making a gift for your loved one on Valentine’s Day. It can be such a simple thing to do, but it can also say and mean a lot to them.
These Belgian Heart biscuits are a favourite of mine – they’re really easy to make, fun to decorate, and can make the perfect little edible love-letter. This recipe has just the right amounts of sugar and spice – something every good Valentine’s Day needs!
BLUEBELLS BELGIAN BISCUIT RECIPE
Biscuit:
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup caster sugar
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
2 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
2 ¾ cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp good quality dutch cocoa, like Equagold
Filling:
Raspberry Jam
Icing:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp milk
Small amount of pink food colouring (optional)
Directions:
1. Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat gently until just combined.
2. Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat until combined. The mixture will form a dough.
3. Wrap the dough in glad wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes until chilled.
4. Preheat your oven to 180˚C (160˚C fan) and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/2cm thick. Use your cookie cutters to cut shapes and place them carefully on the baking trays. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until they have turned lightly golden.
6. Remove the baking tray from the oven and let the biscuits cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling tray.
7. Make the icing by whisking the ingredients together in a small bowl, adding more milk to get the consistency you require.
8. When the biscuits are completely cool take 2 that are the same size and shape and sandwich them together with a small amount of raspberry jam (about 1/2-1 tsp).
9. To decorate the biscuits, take the icing and either drizzle or spread over the top of the biscuits. I also like to dust a few with icing sugar and leave a few plain. These are best eaten on the day they are filled with jam. You can keep the un-assembled biscuits for a few days in an air tight container.
10. Voila!
If this sounds like a hassle or you do not have time, you can order these for $3 each from BLUEBELLS CAKERYhere instead!
