CHOCO DODGERS

Makes about 15 Takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, plus chilling and setting

INGREDIENTS

• 250g/9oz soft butter

• 125g/4½oz caster sugar

• 225g/8oz plain flour

• 100g/4oz rice flour

• 50g/2oz cocoa powder

• A pinch of salt

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• Icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

For the chocolate ganache

• 100g/4oz dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa solids), chopped

• 100ml/4fl oz single cream

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar

For the white chocolate ganache variation

• 150g/5oz white chocolate, chopped

• 75ml/3fl oz double cream

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift in the flours and cocoa powder and mix together with the salt and vanilla until just combined. Do not overwork the dough or your dodgers will be tough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes.

2. In the meantime, make the chocolate (or white chocolate, see variation in box below) ganache. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Put the cream, vanilla and sugar in a pan set over a gentle heat and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Increase the heat slightly and allow the cream to just come to the boil. Take it off the heat and leave to stand for 1 minute. Pour the cream over the chocolate and mix with a rubber spatula until it is fully combined and you have a smooth, glossy ganache. Set at room temperature for about an hour, or until thickened but still spreadable. Spoon the ganache into a piping bag and set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 170°C, fan 150°C, gas 3 and line 1-2 baking sheets with baking parchment.

4. Roll out the dough to thickness of 5mm/¼in and cut out 30 rounds using a 6cm/2½in scalloped edged round cookie cutter. Then, using a 2.5cm/1in heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out a heart from the centre of half of the cookies and arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Bring any scraps together, re-roll and cut out as many cookies as possible from the dough. Chill in the fridge for an hour.

5. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

6. Snip the end off the piping bag and squeeze a generous blob of ganache onto the whole biscuits. Gently press the biscuits with hearts cut out on top to create sandwiches. Dust with icing sugar if you wish.