Italian chocolate kisses
A nice treat, cute and relatively easy to make. Italian cookies are usually more delicate and a bit different from classic 'Kiwi' baking.
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
- 225 grams butter
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup cocoa
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup ground almonds, toasted
- ½ cup white sugar
- Chocolate rum filling:
- 175 grams dark chocolate (60% cocoa)
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2/3 cup cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons rum
Method
- Cream the butter and icing sugar together until light in colour and texture. Beat in the rum and the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder. Mix in the cooled toasted ground almonds.
- Add the mixed dried ingredients to the creamed mixture; blend to form a soft dough. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until it is firm.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Roll pieces of the dough into cherry sized balls then in the white sugar to coat. Place on the prepared tray.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the cookies have lightly risen and their tops are slightly cracked. Remove from the oven and cool on the tray before transferring to a wire rack. Sandwich together with Chocolate Rum Filling when cool.