Chocolate Cherry Beauties

Today is first day of Summer in Australia, and day that I usually start baking for Christmas. It's relieving to know that outside temperatures are unusually low this year. My list is including: Scottish Shortbread, Austrian 'Zimtsterne', Wiener Poppy Seed Mini Muffins, Italian 'Panetonne', Coconut Biscuits, Poppy Seed Spirals, Chocolate and Fresh Ginger Biscuits, and Sesame Wafers, Hazelnut Truffles and more (recipes coming!). At last but not at least, Gingerbread House from scratch.

Ingredients:
185 g flour
30 g cocoa
1/3 teas salt
185 g butter, softened
105 g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teas almond or vanilla essence
30 g almonds, toasted, chopped
Glace cherries for decorating
a bit of melted chocolate (to stick cherries)
Method:
Mix all dry ingredients, add butter, egg yolk and essence. Make a soft dough, wrap in cello paper and keep in a cool spot for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oven to 190*C, prepare baking tins. Baking paper helps a lot.
Form small balls from dough, put on a baking sheet, and middle of every ball press with your finger (or shape dough into a log and then cut discs). Bake 8-9 minutes. When slightly cooled, dot a bit of chocolate in the middle and decorate with half of a cherry.
Keep in a cool spot for 2-3 weeks.



Čokoladne Ljepotice sa Trešnjama

Pecenje kolacica za predstojece praznike pocinje! Uvijek ispecem puno keksica, jer mogu dugo stajati i zgodni su za pokloniti.

Sastojci:
185 gr brasna
30 gr kakaa
1/3 kasicice soli
185 gr putera, omeksalog
105 gr secera u prahu
1 zumance
1 kasicica esencije vanile ili badema
30 gr pecenih, samljevenih badema
malo chocolade, istopljene
usecerene tresnje za decoraciju
Nacin:
Pomijesajte sve suhe sastojke. Dodajte puter, zumance i esenciju i umijesite tijesto. Ostavite odmarati (zamotano) na hladnom mjesu bar 20 minuta.
Ukljucite rernu i pripremite pleh za pecenje. Od tijesta uzimajte male loptice, koje cete oblikovati dlanovima, pa svaku prstom malo pritisnite na sredini (ili formirajte valjak, izrezite na diskove). Pecite 8-9 minuta, izvadite prohladiti.
Istopite cokoladu , pa na svaki kolacic stavite malo, zatim 'zalijepite' polovice usecerenih tresanja za dekoraciju.