Create a cozy Christmas with the smell of some freshly-baked chocolate biscuits. Make some time, prepare the dough with a pinch of love and remember that small gestures are much more delicious than expensive gifts.
For 40 biscuits:
- 200g crushed chocolate
- 90g (6 Ts) butter
- 110g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 Ts vanilla essence
- 210 g (1 and 1/2 cup) flour
- 25g (1/4 cup) cacao powder
- 1/2 Ts baking powder
- 188 g (3/4 cup) icing sugar
Method
Create a double boiler and melt the chocolate and the butter in a medium-sized bowl until you get a homogeneous mixture. Cool it down and add the sugar, stirring continuously so that it dissolves. Add the eggs, one at a time, using a hand mixer to incorporate nicely all ingredients. Add vanilla, sifted flour, cacao, salt and baking powder into the chocolate mix and combine them all. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave the dough in the fridge for at least an hour.
Heat up the oven to 160oC. Spead some butter over a baking tray and cover it with baking paper. Pour the icing sugar into a small bowl or plate. Using a tea-spoon, scoop out pieces of the dough to create balls, around 2,5 cm in diameter. Roll each truffle into the icing sugar, covering it generously on all sides. Lay out the biscuits on the baking tray, spacing them out 4 cm apart. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. During baking the truffles will crack, forming little snowy hills. Let them cool for 2 minutes into the baking tray and then remove them to cool down completely.
Put the truffles into a metal box, tie a ribbon and gift these little sweets to your loved ones. That is an excellent way to preserve the biscuits. I dare say they would be even tastier on the next day! Look through some of the best dishes from the Spanish and Italian cuisines for more lovely festive meal ideas.
