The quintessential Australian biscuit (or at least one of), Melting Moments instantly take me back to days gone by, sharing tea and biscuits with my Mum and Grandmother. The tang of the passionfruit and their cheery yellow shade, remind me of a balmy summer afternoon, unlike the drizzly Autumn day in which they were made.
These little beauties certainly live up to their name, soft to bite and quickly melting in your mouth, as they should do. The recipe that follows is vegan friendly, containing no dairy products. However, if you do wish to use butter, simply substitute for unsalted butter in equal quantities.
You might also like to try a jam & cream filling, berry, lemon & lime or orange icing. You can even change the biscuit itself, replacing 1/3 cup of the flour with cocoa to make a chocolate biscuit instead. Look out for my middle eastern inspired, pistachio and orange blossom melting moments coming soon.
Happy Cooking.
Passionfruit Melting Moments
Adapted from Sally Said Handmade
Makes approx. 24 Melting Moments
Ingredients
Biscuit Ingredients
250 grams of margarine
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup custard powder
1 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tbsp passionfruit pulp in syrup
Icing Ingredients
2 cups of icing sugar
3 tbsp of margarine
1/2 tin of passionfruit pulp in syrup
Method
1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 2/150°C and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the margarine, icing sugar and vanilla.
3. Add passionfruit pulp to the creamed butter mixture. Use a sieve if you wish to remove any seeds.
4. In a small mixing bowl, sieve together the flour and custard powder and stir until combined.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture, stirring until the mixture forms a soft dough.
6. Roll your dough into teaspoon-sized balls and place them on your trays approximately 3cm apart. Gently press them down with a fork and bake for around 15 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack before icing.
7. To make the icing, firstly sieve the icing sugar and then using an electric mix, cream together the sugar and margarine. Gradually mix in the passionfruit pulp, adjusting the quantities of ingredients according to taste and texture.
8. Once the icing is light and fluffy, sandwich about a teaspoon-full between two biscuits.
Helpful Hints
-I used Nuttelex dairy-free margarine to make this recipe vegan-friendly.
-Most custard powders are vegan friendly, but please check the packaging.
-You will only need 1 standard-sized 170g tin of passionfruit pulp for the recipe. I used the Coles brand.
-Don't be afraid to alter the recipe to suit. If the dough comes out too sticky, add more flour. Vary the quantities of margarine, sugar and pulp for the icing, until you get the desired taste and texture.
