Christmas treats

I'm a little late on the bandwagon for Christmas baking this year but I thought I'd share with you what I have been baking for my friends and family in the lead up to the big day.

Since I stayed in Metung in October and I ate the hotel's delicious Melting Moments, I decided to attempt to replicate them and make them my own.

Melting Moments

makes approximately 40 complete cookies

500g butter, cubed and softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

4 cups plain flour, sifted

2/3 cup custard powder

Buttercream

5-6 tablespoons butter

2 cups icing sugar

flavouring essence

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius (140 fan forced). Line baking trays with non stick baking paper. Cream butter, vanilla extract and icing sugar until light and creamy. Add flour and custard powder and beat until a dough forms.

Take teaspoonfuls of the mixture and roll into balls. Place them on the prepared trays and press down lightly on each one with the back of a flour-dipped fork. Bake for 15 minutes until firm.

As this mixture makes a lot of cookies, you will most likely need to bake them in a couple of batches. While the first batch is baking, keep the remaining mixture in the fridge to keep it chilled and firm.

When the cookies have cooled, prepare the buttercream by creaming the butter, icing sugar and your flavouring of choice until smooth and creamy (I used passionfruit essence). Pipe or spoon a little buttercream onto a cookie and sandwich it with another cookie to form a Melting Moment.

Truffles

Makes approximately 40

1 packet Arnott's Marie biscuits

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 can condensed milk

coconut, for rolling or melted good quality chocolate (I used Lindt Ecuador), for dipping

Place biscuits in food processor and process until fine crumbs. Tip out into a bowl and stir through cocoa. Pour most of the can of condensed milk into the bowl (you don't want the mixture too runny or the truffles will lose their shape). Mix until well combined. Take teaspoonfuls of mixture and roll into balls. At this point, you may wish to roll in coconut or you may wish to dip them in melted chocolate. If you are dipping them, use a truffle dipper - these can be found at homewares stores. It will save you from getting very messy!

Refrigerate until firm.