You could be genteel and call these Chocolate Viennese Sandwich Biscuits, or you could be my husband and ask me how I made the Bourbons.
Either way they are really good. They manage to be very light and very chocolatey all at the same time. Viennese biscuits are usually piped but I tried and failed on that score. The mixture refused to come out of the piping bag. I think the nozzle might have been too small, or the mixture too stiff, I couldn’t decide. So plan B was put into action and teaspoonfuls were flattened by the tines of a fork. Maybe not so beautiful but perfectly adequate.
I was feeling in need of an indulgent treat (to be fair it’s not often that I don’t feel the need for an indulgent treat) so I made a frosting to sandwich the biscuits together, but you could just make the biscuits and they would still be delicious.
They were a big hit with Mr OC and the girls and so will be regularly produced from now on, of that I have no doubt.
For the biscuits:
110g (4oz) butter
50g (2oz) icing sugar, sifted
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
25g (1oz) cocoa powder
110g (4oz) plain flour
25g (1oz) cornflour
Method
Cream the butter and the icing sugar together until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat well. Sift together the cocoa, plain flour and the cornflour over the mixture and mix well to form a dough.
If you can pipe it, then pipe it into pretty rosettes, or if you are like me, then drop teaspoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet and flatten slightly with a fork.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°c, gas mark 4 or on the middle of the Baking Oven of the Aga for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool on the tray for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire tray to cool completely.
For the frosting:
50g (2oz) butter, softened
110g (4oz) icing sugar
25g (1oz) chocolate, melted
Method
Beat the butter until smooth and then add the icing sugar and beat together well. Add the melted chocolate and beat again until smooth and fluffy.
Use this frosting to sandwich two of the biscuits together for a proper indulgent treat.
Next up Garibaldi’s followed by the Peak Freans Revoltionary Assortment (with thanks to Alexi Sayle)
Sound good to me, can you find me the recipe for that last lot? x
Oh my god, it’s 11pm here (NYC) and I’m sitting in bed and just looked at these cookies and I’m suddenly hungry for them! Yum they look so good!!
Thank you Priyanka, I am sorry to lead you into midnight feasting though.
I have loads of cookie / biscuit recipes but not one with chocolate! Thanks to you, I am now complete!
🙂 Mandy
Ah thank you Mandy, making the Complete CookBook complete, makes me a happy cook.
They look fab – indulgent treats are required on a daily basis in my book lol.
Oh yes indeed! Perhaps twice daily if necessary.
Excellent, indulgent treats – I’m all for them (think you’ve probably grasped that fact by now). These look lovely and who needs the fancy stuff anyway. I’d certainly be doing it your way as I and piping don’t get on. I’m with Mr OC on the Garibaldi.
Piping, schmiping! I would love to be able to pipe elegantly but it just doesn’t happen.
There is not much I like more than chocolate–maybe pizza–no it’s chocolate. Anyway, these biscuits would do perfectly for a chocolate fix. Delicious!
Haha Michele, I love the indecision of that. It is a tough one. My list wouldn’t be limited to two though. They definitely hit the “I need chocolate and I need it now!” spot.
I just made these Biscuits and they have turned out so well! yum yum my mum will be suprised when she gets home they are her favorites, thank you for posting the recipie 🙂
Oh brilliant, I am really pleased to hear that. I hope your mum liked them 🙂