Peppermint cream sandwich biscuits recipe
Making peppermint creams is a childhood tradition, and they’re even better sandwiched between chocolatey biscuits.
Prep time: 45 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling | Cooking time: 12-15 minutes
MAKES
About 16
INGREDIENTS
250g plain flour
20g cornflour
75g golden caster sugar
40g cocoa powder
200g cold salted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the filling
75g white chocolate, chopped
75g unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g icing sugar
Peppermint extract, added to taste (I used 1 ½tsp of Steenbergs but other brands may vary in strength)
Cranberry jelly or hundreds and thousands to decorate (optional)
METHOD
In a food processor, blend the flour, cornflour, sugar and cocoa powder.
Grate the cold butter and add that, along with the vanilla extract and one tablespoon of water. Whizz in the processor until it looks sandy.
Tip out on a work surface and draw the mix together, kneading lightly, into a crumbly dough – sprinkle over another spoonful of water if necessary.
Roll out the dough on a sheet of baking paper to ½cm thick. Cover and chill in the fridge for about an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4.
Cut the dough out with biscuit cutters, rerolling the trimmings. To make Jammie-Dodger style biscuits, use smaller cutters to stamp out holes in half of them. Lay on two baking sheets lined with baking paper (you can reuse the piece you used earlier). Bake for 12-15 minutes until dry to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.
To make the filling, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place over a pan of hot water to melt, or try 10-second bursts in the microwave – but be careful, it can burn easily.
Beat the butter with the icing sugar until fluffy, then beat in the chocolate and the peppermint extract.
Put a dollop of filling on half the biscuits and top with a second biscuit, pressing down lightly. Leave to set.
If you have made Jammie Dodger-style biscuits you can fill the hole with a little cranberry jelly (heat it gently first and rub it through a sieve) or hundreds and thousands.