Chocolate-filled shortbread (spog-sjokolade koekies)

These dainty, chocolate-filled shortbread barrels are simply delicious. The bonus is that they are also very easy to make.

They are ideal as a special treat over the Christmas season, a gift for friends, or when you need to take-a-plate.

Ingredients

  • 200 gram butter
  • 1/4 cup (50 ml) castor sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water
    or
    1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla and 2 teaspoons (10 ml) water
  • 2 cups (500 ml) flour
  • 200 - 250 gram slab chocolate
  • In South Africa: use two 100 gram slabs of whole-nut chocolate
  • In New Zealand: use a 250 gram slab of Whittaker's Dark Almond with 62% Cocoa
  • Of course you use your favourite flavour too.
  • Icing sugar to dust

Method

  1. Cream butter and sugar together.
  2. Add water. Add flour and mix thoroughly.
  3. Cut chocolate into blocks.
  4. Fold each block of chocolate into enough dough to cover it completely. The dough wrapping should be about 5 mm thick.
  5. Roll it between the palms of your hands to shape it into a barrel.
  6. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 15 to 20 minutes. It should have the colour of straw, but should not be brown.
  7. Dust with icing sugar while biscuits are still warm.