Monte Carlo Biscuits

[judydawn]

This recipe is converted from a Woman's Day magazine and makes 24 double biscuits.

185g butter, at room temperature
95g brown sugar
1 egg
1 tspn vanilla extract
220g self raising flour
120g plain flour
50g dessicated coconut
raspberry or strawberry jam

Filling
50g softened butter
110g pure icing sugar
1 tblspn milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180^oC. Grease and line 3 oven trays with baking paper.
Place the butter and sugar in the TM bowl and beat 1 min/speed 3 - no butterfly necessary.
Add egg and vanilla and mix for 20 sec/speed 3.
Add flours and coconut and fold in using the knead button 40 sec.  Scrape down sides with spatula and knead for a further 20 seconds.
Tip out onto a silpat mat and bring it together to form a ball.
Place slightly heaped teaspoons of dough into the palm of your hand and squeeze slightly before rolling it into a ball and placing on the tray.  Allow 4 - 5 cm between each piece of dough.
Gently flatten to an oval shape, tidying up the edges  as you go then mark each piece with the prongs of a fork.
Cook 10 - 12 minutes (I did 12) then cool on trays for 5 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Filling - Place butter and icing sugar in the TM bowl and mix 60 sec/speed 4.
Add milk and vanilla and mix for 10 sec/speed 4, clean down sides and repeat this step once.
Place a tspn of jam onto the centre of half the biscuits, place a tsp of butter icing in the centre of the other biscuits then sandwich both biscuits together, pressing firmly.
Store in an airtight container.

It was rather a warm day here today and the filling was quite soft.  I am wondering if I should have refrigerated it for a while to firm up and make it easier to handle as the filling procedure was rather messy and difficult.  I popped the completed biscuits into the fridge to firm up.
I was also wondering if biscuit dough needs to be rested before rolling into balls.  The original recipe didn't say to do this so if anyone has the answer to this question, please let me know.
When the biscuits were first made they seemed a little crumbly but after sitting in the fridge for a few hours, they don't seem to be now.

This conversion is for Frozzie.  To me it is a lot of trouble to go to just for a biscuit but I guess for special occasions it would be worth the extra effort. I am now not sure whether to leave them in the fridge because of the filling or to just store them in an airtight tin.

These are Chookie's changes to this recipe.

These are the changes I made to Judy’s recipe.
Made double, but baked half. Rolled remainder into log to freeze.
Only fill with butter cream and jam as required.
Used a small, 2 1/2 ice cream scoop to form biscuits straight on to tray, no rolling.
Used fork dipped in flour to flatten  and make marks across biscuits.
Added 1 teaspoon of both honey and golden syrup to double recipe.
Used raw caster sugar instead of brown sugar.
Am going to fill come with chocolate instead of jam.

[Brumington]

Oh yes. My favorite! This is reason alone for a $2000 machine, 
I get my TMX tomorrow. Have a guess what will be one of the first things I make? They look divine.

[Frozzie]

Oh jd mwa.. Mwa mwa... Thankyou for finding it snd going to all that trouble..miam miam or yum yum for the aussies lol!!

[gertbysea]

Just eat them JD. Too good to keep.

Gert

[judydawn]

But I don't eat many biscuits Gretchen. GD must have eaten a couple of biscuits worth of dough whilst we were rolling them but she is not a great cookie eater although I did send some home with DD.  Guess they will disappear.

[dede]

They look great Judy, will put on the to try list

[Cornish Cream]

Blimey Judy you have been busy,I bet you feet never touched the ground today.Superb biscuits 

[judydawn]

Thanks girls.  Yes a very busy day CC - there used to be 24 hours in a day but I'm sure we are being short-changed these days.

[achookwoman]

Thanks Judy, DH will love these.

[fundj&e]

They look great Judy, how many  biscuits did you and GD make ?

[judydawn]

It makes 24 double biscuits Uni.

[DizzyGirl]

Might give these a try today. School holidays and rain = lots of cooking.
Thanks for the recipe JD. Have a bikkie and a cuppa and put your feet up today.

[DizzyGirl]

Just looked at another recipe on nine an and they roll their dough into a log. Cover with plastic and allow to rest for 20 minutes before baking.

They also spread the jam whilst the biscuits are warm then allow to cool.
The icing should be quite thick too.

Will try with these variations and let you know.

[cookie1]

Yum yum. I am currently making biscuits/slices to go to DD's work on Thursday mornings. The first couple of weeks I made yummy rich things and last week I almost forgot so quickly made honey biscuits and sanwiched together with honey icing. DD said they all raved over the plainer biscuit. A lesson for me I think.
Monte Carlos this week.

[judydawn]

Might give these a try today. School holidays and rain = lots of cooking.
Thanks for the recipe JD. Have a bikkie and a cuppa and put your feet up today.

Can't do that today DG, got SIL coming to sit with DH whilst I have a full day out with the carers tomorrow.  That means lots of housework and cooking a meal for their lunch.  I will do as you say tomorrow though.

Will be interested to see how your variations go, I just didn't feel this one was easy enough. Keep a note of yours and we can replace mine with it if it is really easy. Not sure about the crispness of the biscuits with mine either, bought ones are really crunchy or hard and these aren't that hard.