Hundreds and Thousands Biscuits - Pihikete Rau Me Ngā Mano
A lemon spiked shortbread biscuit with a pink white chocolate topping adorned with hundred and thousand sprinkles.
Servings 30 pihikete (biscuits)
Ingredients
Shortbread Biscuits - Pihikete Pata
- 200 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
- ¾ C (125 g) puehu huka (icing sugar)
- Kiri rēmana o ngā rēmana e rua (lemon zest of two lemons)
- ¼ teaspoon tote (salt, fine)
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) wanira (vanilla)
- ¾ C (80 g) puehu kānga (cornflour)
- 1 ½ C (225 g) puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
The Pink Icing - Te Pani Reka Māwhero
- 150 g tiakarete mā (white chocolate, I used caramelised white chocolate but use what you want)
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) noni (oil, neutral flavoured)
- ¼ teaspoon tae kai māwhero (pink food colouring)
- 100 g ruireka (sprinkles)
- 8 rahipere tauraki-tio (freeze-dried raspberries, optional)
Instructions
Preheat the Oven:
- Line two large trays with baking paper (re-use the baking paper I use for rolling out the dough).
- Pre-heat the oven to 160 °C.
Whip the Wet Ingredients:
- In a large bowl, whip the pata kūteretere (softened butter), puehu huka (icing sugar), tote (salt), wanira (vanilla) and kiri rēmana (lemon zest). Do this for 5 minutes on high until the mixture is pale in colour and fluffy in texture.
Add the Dry Ingredients:
- Add the puehu kānga (cornflour) and plain flour (puehu parāoa noa) to the butter mixture. Rub it together with your hands until a dough forms. Don't knead it too much here, just do it until it comes together.
Roll out the Dough:
- Place the dough in-between two large pieces of rautunu (baking paper). Roll it out until dough is approximately 0.5cm thick.
Cut out the Dough:
- Use a 5-7 cm cutter to cut out the pihikete (biscuits), and place them on the prepared trays. Leave a 2 cm gap between each cut out biscuit.
- Remove the excess dough, roll it out again and continue to roll and cut out the dough until it is all used. Eating some is also an option!
Chill the Biscuits:
- Chill the trays of pihikete (biscuits) in the fridge for ten minutes before baking, this helps them keep their shape.
Bake the Biscuits:
- Bake the trays of cookies, one tray at a time for 10 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Melt the Chocolate for the Pink Icing:
- Add water to the bottom of a pot (around 3 cm deep) and bring it to a very gentle simmer. Place a heat proof bowl on top (make sure it does not touch the water) and add the tiakarete mā (white chocolate), noni (oil) and tae kai (food colouring).
- Gently melt it all together, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Decorate the Biscuits:
- Remove from the heat and add a small teaspoon of the melted chocolate on to three or four of the cooled pihikete (biscuits) at a time. Decorating 3-4 at a time means the chocolate won't set before you add the sprinkles. Smooth the tops.
- Sprinkle with rui reka (sprinkles) and rahipere tauraki-tio (freeze-dried raspberries), if you are using them. Carry on this pattern until they are all decorated.
Chill the Decorated Biscuits:
- Allow the tiakarete (chocolate) to set in the fridge for 15 minutes or so and you are ready to party...or just have a cup of tea with this delicious biscuit!
Storing the Hundreds and Thousands Biscuits:
- Add the set pihikete (biscuits) in to a sealed container and keep in a cool cupboard or in the fridge. They will keep for up to a week.