Melting moments

A good friend of mine sent me a message recently, asking me for my melting moments recipe so that she could make a batch for her grandmother. This was such a special request, as this recipe came from my grandmother, whose melting moments always were, and still are, a favourite. Both of my grandmothers are brilliant cooks and many of my childhood memories spent at their places involve food. I count myself very lucky to have them as a source of inspiration in the kitchen. So, when my friend asked me for the recipe, I decided that instead of just sending it to her I would post it for you all to see!

I have two key tips for you when making this recipe. The first is make sure the butter is very soft. It is so much more difficult to cream the butter if it’s firm, and the mixture will be more prone to turning out lumpy if the butter isn’t soft. The softer the butter the easier it will also be to work with if you cream it by hand rather than with an electric mixer, which you can certainly do. That’s about the only type of workout I endorse… 

The second tip is this – don’t skimp on the vanilla! Vanilla is integral to achieving the flavour of this biscuit. I go through vanilla a lot quicker than I should because I tend to splash more into my recipes than I need, but it’s so worth it. #noregrets

To make these biscuits you can either roll them into balls and flatten them in a freeform way, or you can use a cookie press to create shapes and patterns to your biscuits, like in the picture. You can get some relatively inexpensive cookie presses these days from major department stores, and they make your biscuits look a lot fancier than they really are! There is nothing wrong with forming them by hand though – in fact, shaping them by hand allows you to achieve a classic melting moment look by pressing them down with a fork to create a lined pattern.

These biscuits are perfect if you’re looking to gift a sweet little something to a loved one. Packaged up in small jars or with cellophane and ribbon, homemade sweets always go down a treat. 

Bon appetit!

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Melting moments

170g unsalted butter, softened

55g icing sugar

1tsp vanilla essence

170g plain flour

55g custard powder

ICING

60g unsalted butter, softened

120g icing sugar

2tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 160C and spray two baking trays with cooking oil.

2. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer.

3. Sift the flour and custard powder, and gently stir into butter mixture by hand.

4. Roll teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays at least 2cm apart. Gently flatten with fingers or a fork. Alternatively, scoop the mixture into a biscuit press and clamp down onto baking trays. 

5. Bake biscuits for 8-10 minutes until just golden around the edges. Leave to cool on the trays for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. To make the icing, beat the butter and the lemon juice in a bowl with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat until well incorporated. 

7. Take two cooled biscuits and spread the underside of one biscuit with icing. Sandwich together with the other biscuit. Repeat with remaining biscuits, then set aside on a wire rack until the icing has dried.