MOCHA COOKIE KISSES

Preparation time 35 mins plus 1 hour chilling Cooking time 20 mins Makes 10

200g white ready-to-roll icing Black food colour gel, to tint Edible gold dust, to decorate

DOUGH

125g butter, chopped, softened 1½ cups icing sugar mixture,

firmly packed

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup plain flour

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

MOCHA CREAM FILLING 75g unsalted butter, at

room temperature

1½ cups icing sugar mixture 3 tsp milk, warmed

½ tsp instant coffee granules 3 tsp cocoa powder

STEP 1 To make dough, put butter, icing sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed with paddle attachment for 3 minutes or until light and creamy. Sift in flour and cocoa and stir with a wooden spoon until a rough dough comes together. Transfer to bench and use your hands to bring dough together to form a smooth disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

STEP 2 Preheat oven to 160°C fanforced (180°C conventional). Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. Roll out disc between 2 sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Using a 6.5cm round fluted cookie cutter, cut out 20 discs, cutting as many as possible before re-rolling to cut out remaining discs. Arrange discs 2cm apart on prepared trays. Return to the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely on trays.

STEP 3 Meanwhile, tint about 1 tsp of the white icing with a little black gel, until grey in colour. Tear small amounts of grey icing into tiny pieces and marble though remaining white icing. Roll out icing to 1-2mm thick. Using a 6cm round fluted cookie cutter, cut out 10 discs, cutting out as many discs as possible before rerolling to cut out remaining discs.

STEP 4 Use a letterpress set to stamp each icing disc with the names of Santa his reindeer or names of friends. Set aside.

STEP 5 To make mocha cream filling, put butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat with electric hand beaters until combined. Stir milk and coffee together, then add to butter mixture with cocoa. Beat again until smooth.

STEP 6 Roll tablespoonfuls of filling into balls to make 10. Gently squash each ball into a disc until just slightly smaller than the width of the biscuits, then sandwich between 2 cooled biscuits.

STEP 7 Brush the underside of each stamped piece of icing with a little water, then gently press on top of biscuit sandwiches. Set aside for 5 minutes. Brush a little gold dust and serve.