Chocolate Kisses.

I figured the name of these biscuits was appropriate for the second most important upcoming holiday, Valentine's day. Pancake day being much more exciting, obviously. I don't know why they're called chocolate kisses, but that's what the recipe book (this one, if you're interested) tells me. I've made these bad boys about 30 times, they disappear in a matter of hours every time - whenever I get my scales out my boyfriend's ears prick up and I hear 'are you making chocolate kisses?' I have adapted the recipe to suit my tastes - they're now much softer, cakier, chocolatey-er and most vitally, bigger than they should be. I'm going to give you the adapted version, because why would you not want them softer, cakier, chocolatey-er and bigger?

Look at the BUTTERCREAM.

Ingredients

• 115g Stork
• 80g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1tbsp milk
• 3 tbsp cocoa dissolved in 3tbsp boiling water
• 225g self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• As many chocolate chips as you feel is appropriate

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 170c, and line a baking sheet (or two) with baking paper.

2) Get a big bowl, and beat together the butter and sugar, same as all other baking, yadda yadda yadda.

3) Add in the egg, milk and cocoa mush (this mush will look incredibly appealing, don't eat it. It's not very nice). Beat them together, but not too vigorously or you'll only end up covered in the stuff.

4) Add in the flour and baking powder, and mix together. You want a sticky dough which will get all over your hands, but that will hold its shape. If it's too wet add a little more flour, if it's too dry add more milk. Little at a time people, little at a time.

5) Finally, stir in all your chocolate chips.

6) Drop vaguely spherical blobs of it onto the baking tray. The recipe says it makes 24, but I disagree. I get 20 nice big ones. Bear in mind they'll expand as they bake, so give them a bit of room. 

7) Whack your biscuits in the oven for 12 minutes - turn them round at the 6 minute mark if you have an oven as uneven and temperamental as mine.

8) Take them out and let them cool for 10 minutes or so before transferring to the wire rack. They'll be extremely soft when you first take them out, so don't be tempted to handle them 'til they've cooled a little or they'll only fall apart. Like I said, they're cakey.

9) When they're cooled, sandwich them together with an unhealthy amount of chocolate buttercream (see below for recipe). You might have leftovers, but this only means you haven't used enough buttercream.

10) Eat them. I recommend pulling them apart, licking the buttercream off and eating the biscuits. My boyfriend prefers the 'cram them in as fast as possible' approach.

Buttercream Ingredients

• 200g icing sugar
• 100g softened butter (not gonna lie, I just use Stork)
• 2 tbsp of cocoa

Method 

1) Beat the butter until it's soft and creamy, it'll make it a lot easier to incorporate the icing sugar. 

2) Add the icing sugar and cocoa, and mix. You'll probably get it all over yourself (or you could wear an apron. See below) but just go with it. It'll also look like it's not going to incorporate but it'll get there eventually!

3) Taste it (very important step) and decide if it needs more cocoa or not.

My handmade apron. Proudest thing I've ever done.