Home made biscuits

I dare you try these, you'll never go back buying them from a shop. You'll have them done in less than an hour without requiring any superpowers, you will have all you need in your fridge and cupboard. Amazing with tea, coffee and even ice cream on a side they will be the star of the afternoon.
 All you need to make the biscuits is:
250g butter softened
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (you could use essence too)
230g plain flour
35g cocoa powder
85g icing sugar
30g cornflower
Also, for the cream filling you will need:
50g butter, softened
125g icing sugar
50g full fat cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
orange zest

Sift all the dry elements before mixing in soft butter and vanilla, you will end up with a slightly soft dough but once in the fridge for 10 min it will go hard enough so you can manage it afterwards. Shape it in similar balls (mine weren't all the same but I found pairs, no pros! you need to enjoy baking not to stress yourself about it or feed your compulsions), and place them on a ready-to-go-in-the-oven tray (by that I only mean you have to line it with some baking parchment, easy pesy), also heat oven to 140 fan/160 gas btw. Balls on the tray (not to close together, they tend to expand), now you want to press them down and give them that biscuit-y finish, I used a fork, if you don't fancy my look you could try pressing it down with the bottom of a glass (?).
Now they're ready to go in the oven for 30 minutes while you can work on your filling.
Start mixing the butter with icing sugar (I like using a wooden spoon), it's hard at the beginning but soon you'll fell the new creamy consistency emerge. Add vanilla paste, orange zest (could be lemon) and cream cheese and finish off your cream. If you fancy a different color you could add food coloring, kids will love! The biscuits MUST be completely cold (if not sure, stick them in the fridge) when start piping the cream, be gentle, they need good care, they're super fragile. Pip away and enjoy!
recipe adapted from GoodFood Magazine

C x