As a kid, I was a huge fan of the love heart candy - in general, not just around valentine's day. I just loved seeing the different messages, and having a giggle over them. So I figured, for valentine's day, why not translate that notion into a biscuit?
I am not fan of piping - I'm no good at it, and it drives me mad. So when it comes to writing up messages on the biscuit, I personally prefer the press method. You can find cheap tools online which allow you to customise your message by sliding letters in and out of a board, and then it's just a case of pressing the message into the biscuit.
These biscuits taste very strongly of vanilla, with a hint of almond thrown in there for good measure. Just for the occasion, I also face my nemesis (ie. piping) to decorate the outline of the cookies ever so slightly - nothing too complicated, but it does make a difference. If you're looking for a homemade, slightly different giftable this valentine's day - this is it!
Messages were collected via instagram stories on my instagram, @juliawgr!
Ingredients
Biscuits
230gr plain flour
50gr almond flour
1/2 tspn baking powder
150gr granulated white sugar
170gr unsalted butter
1 medium egg
1 tspn vanilla paste (or 2 tspn vanilla essence)
1 tspn almond extract
Royal Icing
320gr icing sugar
2 egg whites
Gel food colouring
Method
1. To make the biscuits. In a large bowl, add the flour, almond flour, baking powder and sugar. Mix to combine.
2. Add the butter and combine using your hands until the mixture resembles wet sand.
3. Add the egg, vanilla paste, and almond extract and knead until a smooth ball forms. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours, or overnight.
4. Roll out the dough around 2-4mm thick. Cut out hearts and place them on a lined baking sheet. Start pressing in phrases of your choice using the letter board (if opting to do so). Refrigerate the hearts for around 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius. Bake the biscuits for around 12 minutes. Do not allow them to get too golden - these are meant to remain quite pale. Allow to cool.
6. To make the icing. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the icing sugar a third at a time until well combined. Split the icing into two batches, and add a few drops of gel food colouring of your choice.
7. Fit a piping bag with a fine round tip. Fill the piping bag with the icing and decorate with alternate coloured dots around the edges. Alternatively, you could also use a very fine star tip and create small florets - this may require a thicker icing, however.
8. Allow the icing to dry overnight, and enjoy!
Recreating this recipe? Tag me on instagram @juliawgr!
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