Coffee & Walnut Cream Cookies (Biscuits)

Ingredients

• 250 g plain flour
• 125 g cold butter, chopped
• 55 g caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 18 walnut halves

butter cream

• 185 g unsalted butter, softened
• 120 g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 125 g walnuts, chopped finely

coffee icing

• 160 g icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1 teaspoon butter

Directions

1. 1

   Sift flour into a medium bowl. Using only fingertips, rub in butter. Mix should look like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar, vanilla and egg.

2. 2

   Knead dough on floured surface until smooth. Divide dough into 2. Roll one half between 2 sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Repeat with 2nd half. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Preheat oven to 180 Deg C, 356 Deg F. Grease & line trays with baking paper.

4. 4

   Use the round cutter to cut out 36 cookies. Place on trays and bake for around 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Make butter cream.

5. 5

   When cool sandwich cookies together with walnut butter cream and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Make coffee icing.

6. 6

   Spread the top of each cookie with icing and top with a walnut half.

7. 7

   Butter Cream: Using an electric mixer and a small bowl, beat butter and sifted icing sugar until light and fluffy. Combine cocoa, coffee and water then beat into mix. Stir in walnuts.

8. 8

   Coffee Icing: Sift icing sugar into a small heatproof bowl. Combine coffee and water then stir into sugar. Add butter. Place bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until icing is glossy and spreadable.