Easter Egg Cookies - Pihikete Hēki Aranga
A chocolate and vanilla cookie made from one dough, stuffed with mini caramel eggs and raspberry marshmallow eggs with an option of peanut butter for a savoury note.
Servings 20 cookies
Ingredients
The Brown Butter
- 190 g pata (butter)
The Easter Eggs - Ngā Hēki Aranga
- 20 - 30 (230 - 345 g) hēki karamea iti (small caramello eggs). Refrigerate an hour before use.
Hēki Māngohe - Marshmallow Eggs (Optional)
- 180 g hēki māngohe (marshmallow eggs). I use the Potter Brothers. Refrigerate an hour before use.
The Cookie Dough - Te Pokenga Pihikete
- 1 tablespoon wanira (vanilla)
- ½ C (100 g) huka hāura (brown sugar)
- ½ C (110 g) huka one (caster sugar)
- 1 teaspoon tote (salt, fine)
- 2 hēki (eggs, size 7)
- 1 ¾ C (260 g) puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
- ¼ C kōkō (cocoa, dutch is best)
- ¼ C (35 g) puehu parāoa anō (extra flour)
- ½ teaspoon pēkana paura (baking powder)
Optional Addition (my choice every time!)
- 20 teaspoon (160 g) pata pīnati māeneene (smooth peanut butter)
Instructions
Brown the Butter:
- Add the chopped pata (butter) in to a medium sized pot or pan. Set it over medium heat. First, melt the butter, stirring occasionally. As the heat continues the milk fats will start to separate (these are the white, floaty bits). Stir occasionally here so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
- Keep it on the heat until the butter starts to foam. Stir it a little bit until the brown bits float to the top. It should smell nutty. From here, stir it a little for another 30 seconds or so, so the butter browns further. This may smoke a little but a little bit of smoke is ok.
- Remove from the heat and pour the pata parauri (brown butter), along with all the brown bits into a large heat-proof bowl. Allow to cool for ten minutes as you prep the hēki Aranga (Easter eggs).
Prepare the Mini Eggs:
- Remove the foil off the hēki karamea (caramello eggs) and chop each one in to two or three pieces on a chopping board. Keep the pieces together as you cut them. You can either use one hēki iti ( mini egg) or 1 ½ hēki (eggs) per cookie.
- Once they are chopped, place them in the pākatio (freezer) to chill.
Prepare the Marshmallow Eggs (Optional):
- Cut the hēki māngohe (marshmallow eggs) in to 40 small pieces and 20 larger strips. The small pieces go inside the pihikete and the large one goes on top. You can omit the larger pieces if you want.
- Add them to the pākatio (freezer). This helps the cookies not explode too much when baking.
Combine the Brown Butter and Sugar:
- After the pata parauri (brown butter) has cooled for 10 minutes, add in the wanira (vanilla), huka hāura (brown sugar), huka one (caster sugar) and tote (salt).
- Tāwhiuwhiua kia māene (whip it until smooth).
Whip in the Eggs and Dry Ingredients:
- Break in both of the hēki (eggs) and whip the mixture until smooth.
- Add the puehu parāoa noa (flour) and fold together with until thick.
Divide the Mixture in to Two:
- Add 1 ¼ cup of the mixture to a seperate bowl and mix in ¼ cup of kōkō (cocoa). Then add it to the pouaka makariri (refrigerator).
- To the remaining mixture, add ¼ cup of puehu parāoa anō (extra plain flour) and pēkana paura (baking powder). Stir it through and add to the pouaka makariri (refrigerator).
Chill the Dough for 10 Minutes:
- Leave the two flavours in the pouaka makariri (refrigerator) for 10 minutes. This will thicken the mixture.
Roll the Dough in to Balls:
- Once chilled, remove each dough and roughly roll in to 20 small balls. You will end up with 20 vanilla flavoured and 20 chocolate flavoured.
Prepare the Baking Trays:
- Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
Flatten out the Chocolate Dough:
- Place a piece of the pokenga tiakarete (chocolate dough) on to the tray and flatten it with your fingers.
Add the Easter Eggs:
- Add 2 small pieces of the hēki māngohe (marshmallow egg) and 3-5 pieces of the hēki karamea (caramel eggs) on top, in a pile. Note: Don't add too much marshmallow in the inside of the cookie as it makes for an exploding biscuit.
Add Peanut Butter (Optional):
- If you are using it, add the blob of pata pīnati (peanut butter) on top.
Drape over the Vanilla Dough:
- Flatten out the pokenga wanira (vanilla dough) with your hands and drape it over the tiakarete (chocolate). Press around the edge to seal it.
Make all the Cookies:
- Continue this pattern until you get ten pihikete (biscuits) on each tray.
- Refrigerate the trays and the pihikete (biscuits) for 20 minutes before baking.
- Repeat this process with the remaining dough, adding ten more pihikete (biscuits) on to the tray. Chill for 20 minutes before baking.
Refrigerate the Cookie Dough for Baking Later:
- You can keep the pre-made pihikete (biscuits) in the fridge for up to 5 days before baking them. Assemble all of the cookies, chill for 20 minutes and then transfer them to a sealed container. Bake them straight from the fridge at any stage.
Preheat the Oven:
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C bake setting or 165 °C fan bake setting.
Bake the Easter Egg Cookies:
- When the biscuits have chilled for 20 minutes, bake for 15 minutes in total.
Add Marshmallow Pieces (Optional):
- If you want the marshmallow drama, place the frozen large strips of māngohe (marshmallow) on top, once the pihikete (biscuits) have been baking for 10 minutes. Then bake for 5 more minutes.
Cool the Cookies:
- Once baked, remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before enjoying with a nice cup of miraka (milk) or kawhe (coffee).
Store the Cookies:
- Keep these pihikete (biscuits) stored in a sealed container in a cool cupboard.They will keep for a good week if they are stored this way.