ROASTED COCOA FLAKE BISCUITS

Ingredients

40 gm soft, unsalted butter
¼ cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg (Agreeable Nature)
100 gm plain flour
50g roasted cocoa (CoKo lounge)
1 tsp baking powder

Hazelnut praline
1/3 cup caster sugar
30 gm hazelnuts, roasted and peeled (Hazelnut Estate)

Icing
1½ cups pure icing sugar, sieved
30 ml espresso coffee (Gud Coffee)
15 gm butter
2 Tbsp roasted cocoa flakes (CoKo Lounge)

Method

For hazelnut praline

Combine sugar and ¼ cup of water in a small saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves.
Bring to the boil, brush down edges of pan using a pastry brush dipped in water, and cook until dark caramel in colour (4-5 minutes), remove from heat and stir in hazelnuts.
Pour onto a lightly oiled oven tray, cool completely, then coarsely chop and set aside.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, add the egg and beat until smooth.
Stir in milk, vanilla, flour, cocoa flakes and baking powder and mix until smooth.
Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm-diameter nozzle and pipe 1.5cm-diameter rounds onto baking paper-lined oven trays.
Bake until golden (12-15 minutes), cool for 2 minutes.

For the icing
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until smooth and just warm.
Add four biscuits at a time to icing and, using a fork, turn to coat, drain excess icing, then place on a wire rack over a tray, put a small piece of hazelnut praline on each and let stand until set. Store in a single layer in an airtight container.

Biscuits will keep for up to 1 week.