Chocolate crackers

These chocolate biscuits are made with a shortbread-like base. Pair them with chocolate 'brie' for a playful dessert version of a cheese board.

Credit: The Chocolate Queen

• makes

  50

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 110 g unsalted butter
• 55 g pure icing sugar
• 15 g Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• 1 vanilla bean, cut and scraped
• 20 g almond meal
• 180 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• plain flour, for dusting

Chilling time: at least 1 hour.

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder. Mix until there are no lumps of butter remaining, scraping down the sides of the bowl as required.
2. Add in the egg while continuing to mix, followed by the vanilla.
3. Add in the almond meal, flour and baking powder. Continue to mix until the ingredients just come together as a dough.
4. Press the dough into an even, flat square and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place into the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.
5. Heat the oven to 190˚C (170˚C fan forced).
6. Lightly dust the workbench with flour and roll the dough out until it is approximately 2 mm in thickness.
7. Cut the dough into squares, 25 mm x 25 mm in size.
8. Place the squares onto a lined baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes.
9. Allow to cool at room temperature before storing in an airtight container.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.