MORE STRAWBERRIES

Another weekend, another trip to the markets! And once again strawberries were the item to buy in bulk, which of course I did. So, with another weekend with a fridge full of strawberries, I contemplated what to make with them. I could possibly make some strawberry and banana smoothies, or maybe a strawberry mousse cake, or even the classic strawberry shortcake. However, with no visitors planned for the week, I thought I should try something a bit simple. I instantly thought of biscuits with a buttercream filling. So with that, the task was set.

I wanted to make a chewy, golden biscuit, something similar to an Anzac, however I wanted honey to be the stand-out flavour. I played around with a few ideas and settled on a mix between an Anzac and an oat biscuit. After my buttercream success last week, I decided to go with this new method and finish it off by adding a strawberry puree. The result was a fluffy and smooth cream with the sweetness of the strawberries an absolute hero. I can see these being a delightful addition to the next high tea I bake for! ENJOY.

 

Honey Oat Biscuits with Strawberry Buttercream

100g butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup desiccated coconut

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line 2 baking trays with grease proof paper. In a small saucepan over a medium heat, combine the butter, sugar and honey. Stir until melted and starts to froth. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder oats and coconut, then pour over the hot butter mixture and stir through. Wait a few minutes or the mixture to cool down before rolling into small balls and evenly placing them on a lined baking tray. Using the back of a spoon, gently press the balls down to make the surface flat. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until just turning golden (don't leave them in too long or they'll be too hard). Remove from oven when ready and allow to cool on the tray for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Buttercream

10 small/medium strawberries

3 egg whites

1 cup caster sugar

140g butter, cut into tablespoon sized cubes

Using a food processor, puree the strawberries until smooth, then set aside to add to the buttercream at the end. Set a large saucepan over the stove with some water in it. Allow it to reach a steady bowl then place a bowl over the top (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water in the saucepan). To the bowl, add the egg whites and the sugar. Beat with a whisk until sugar has dissolved and the eggs start to become glossy and thick. Remove from heat and using an electric beater (or your whisk), continue to beat until the mixture returns to room temperature (could take about 5 to 10 minutes). Turn the beater down to low and add the butter, one cube at a time. Make sure each butter cube is fully incorporated before dropping another one in. Continue with all the butter or until the mixture becomes really thick. Finally, add the strawberries and give the buttercream one last mix with the beater until smooth. 

Assembly

Match the biscuits with a second biscuit closest to the first's size. Using a piping bag, pipe the buttercream on the inside of one of the biscuits then sandwich them together. If the buttercream is a bit runny, pop in the fridge to firm up. Then, ENJOY!