Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Cappuccino Filling

Christmas is sooooo close and I am super excited!! I've been baking like a mad woman and still have plenty more to make. A lot of the cooking won't make it to christmas, I'm a believer in celebrating Christmas all month or else Christmas day comes and goes way too quickly. So luckily with this yummy recipe I made the dough and put half in the freezer so I can whip some up the day before I head home for Christmas, clever me :) 

These are the most delicious sugar cookies I have ever tasted (well done Sweetapolita!). I put my own twist on them by filling them with a cappuccino flavoured icing which just made them amazing. They set really hard in the fridge so it is best to serve them at room temperature when the filling has softened a bit.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Cappuccino Filling

Recipe adapted from Sweetapolita

What you will need

6 cups plain flour
1 1/4 cups cocoa
1 tsp salt
454g butter, softened
2 cups caster sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence

For Cappuccino Filling
2 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp cappuccino liqueur

What you will need to do 

Place butter and sugars in a bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla essence. Sift in flour, cocoa and salt and mix slowly until combined. Blend until mixture is even and smooth.

Divide mixture into two and place one half on a lightly floured surface. Shape into a disc, wrap in glad wrap and place in the fridge. Repeat with the second half of mixture. Leave in fridge for an hour or so until mixture has firmed up.

Preheat oven to 160*C. Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside. Take mixture out of fridge, unwrap and place on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin roll dough out to a thickness of about 10 mm. Using a cookie cutter (what ever shape you like) cut out cookies and place them on the lined baking trays. You may need to use a knife or small spatula to lift cookies off bench. To cut holes in the middle of the cookies use a large end of a piping tip (Only cut holes in half of the cookies). It is best to do this once they are already on the tray so they keep their shape better. Cook cookies in oven for about 15 minutes or until they start to crisp up on edges. Take out of oven and leave on trays for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack.

To make the filling, place icing sugar and butter in a bowl and mix on low speed until combined. Add the cappuccino liqueur and beat on high until creamy texture. If mixture is too thick, add more liqueur, if it is too runny add more icing sugar. Place filling into a piping bag and pipe filling onto the biscuits without holes. Sandwich together the biscuits with filling with the biscuits without filling. Store in refrigerator, serve at room temperature.

Caramel Ginger Rum Balls and Chocolate Cappuccino Balls

It's CHRISTMAS TIME!! Christmas is my favourite time of year, to me it is a chance to enjoy the company of family and friends whilst indulging just a little. I have to confess that I actually started celebrating Christmas this year in mid November... I just got too excited from seeing all the beautiful decorations up around the shopping centres and decided Christmas was coming early this year!

I love to bake Christmas treats as gifts for my friends and family (and a couple cheeky treats just for myself). I usually stick with the classics like rum balls and gingerbread men, but I like to add a little twist. This year I made two variations of rum balls, Chocolate Cappuccino and Caramel Ginger.

Caramel Ginger Balls

What you will need

1 packet ginger nuts
2 cups coconut
1 tin caramel fill
1/3 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1 cup plain biscuit crumbs
Extra coconut for rolling

What you will need to do

Crush ginger nuts in a food processor until fine crumbs. Place in a bowl with coconut and plain biscuit crumbs. Add caramel and rum and mix until combined. The dough should not be too wet, if it is just add more plain biscuit crumbs. Also taste to see if the rum flavour is sufficient, you can add more or less depending on your own preference. Place the bowl of dough into the fridge to set for an hour.

Set up a bowl (I used a cake tin) and place about a cup of coconut in it. Set up a tray and place mini cupcake papers on it. Take out the bowl of dough and roll tablespoons of mixture into balls.

Place the balls into the bowl with coconut and roll around until completely covered.

Take the balls out of the coconut and place into mini cupcake papers.

Chocolate Cappuccino Balls

What you will need

1 packet Double Choc-Chip Biscuits
2 cups coconut
1 tin condensed milk
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup plain biscuit crumbs
1/3 cup Cappuccino Liqueur
Chocolate sprinkles for rolling

What you will need to do

Crush the chocolate chip biscuits in a food processor until a fine crumb and place in a bowl. Add coconut, cocoa, plain biscuits and the condensed milk. Add the cappuccino liqueur to taste. If mixture is too wet add more plain biscuit crumbs. Place in fridge for an hour to firm up.

Set up a bowl (I used a cake tin) and place a small bag of chocolate sprinkles in it. Set up a tray and place mini cupcake papers on it. Take out the bowl of dough and roll tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place the balls into the bowl with sprinkles and roll around until completely covered. Take the balls out of the sprinkles and place into mini cupcake papers.