Chocolate Peppermint Biscuits (Cookies?!)

Ingredients

1 + 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

1/2 cup Cocoa

1/2 tsp Baking Soda (bi-carbonate of soda)

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

5 tbsps Butter

3/4 cup Caster Sugar

1 Egg and 1 Egg Yolk

1 tsp Peppermint extract

1 kg White Chocolate

For cream:

1 egg white

350g icing sugar

a few drops peppermint extract

Preparation

In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients together except the sugar (flour, cocoa, b. soda, b. powder + salt). Using either a standmixer or an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolk and beat until well combined. Now add peppermint extract and mix well.

Slowly add the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (I always have to add a little more flour at this point). Now lightly flour a square piece of greaseproof paper and roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. I wasn't able to do this so my biscuits were pretty thick but they were equally as delicious. Transfer the dough on the paper onto a baking tray, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate over night.

When ready, set your oven to 170 C (325 F). Take out the dough out of the fridge and allow to thaw for 30 seconds. Now take a biscuit cutter (2-inches) and cut out your biscuits. Roll the bits left over together again and cut out more biscuits. Keep going till you don't have any dough left.

Place the biscuits on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. You don't need to space them far apart as they will only rise up a bit and won't spread on the tray. Bake for 10-15 mins.

Set up a double boiler (a heat-resistant glass bowl or saucepan over a pot of boiling water on the stove). Break up the chocolate and through it into the bowl. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Now to make the peppermint cream. Beat the egg white until stiff white peaks form. Now slowly add the icing sugar a little at time making sure it is well mixed each time you add a bit. Add a few drops of peppermint extract to taste. As soon as all the sugar is mixed in, you should have a dough-like mixture. Dust a worksurface with icing sugar and roll out the dough to as thin as you can get it. Cut out pieces with the 2 inch biscuit cutter.

Now to coat the biscuits. This can be messy so be prepared (I need paper towels! Stat!). Place a long sheet of baking parchment on the counter next to your double boiler. Attach the peppermint pieces to the tops of biscuit using a little bit of melted chocolate. Once this has set, simply throw the biscuits into the sea of chocolate. Using two forks, push the biscuit down into the chocolate then pick it up and pass between the two forks allowing the excess chocolate to drip off. Then place the biscuit on the baking parchment. Some folk place the biscuits on a wire rack over baking parchment to allow more chocolate to drip off. I'm a sinner and like as much chocolate sticking to my biscuits as possible. ;)

Refrigerate or leave out for a few hours until set.