italianchocolatekisses

Italian chocolate kisses

  • Serves 50
  • Prep time: 30 mins | Cooking time: 10 mins per batch

A nice treat, cute and relatively easy to make. Italian cookies are usually more delicate and a bit different from classic 'Kiwi' baking.

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

  1. Cream the butter and icing sugar together until light in colour and texture. Beat in the rum and the vanilla.

  2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder. Mix in the cooled toasted ground almonds.

  3. 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.

  4. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

  5. Roll pieces of the dough into cherry sized balls then in the white sugar to coat. Place on the prepared tray.

  6. 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.