There’s a treasured Aussie biscuit called the Iced Vovo, but I’ll admit that it is the mysterious name, rather than its hard base and uniformly sweet fondant topping, that has always appealed to me. With apologies to traditionalists, I’ve reimagined it with a light and crisp biscuit base, flavoured the soft chewy marshmallow and showered it with snowy desiccated coconut, then finished it with a drop of tart, sweet ruby redcurrant jelly for a colourful Christmas treat.
Making a small batch of marshmallows can be tricky – because a small amount of syrup is difficult to cook and a small amount of egg whites is difficult to whip. For this reason, you will have more marshmallow mixture than is needed. Spread the leftover mix on to a baking tray lined with baking paper, cut into small squares when firm, then add to hot chocolate or toast over an open fire. You will also have more pastry than is needed for the biscuit bases, so freeze it for future use.
You will need a sugar thermometer for this recipe.
Makes 24
For the biscuits
plain flour 300g
icing sugar 90g
salt ¼ tsp
unsalted butter 200g, fridge-cold, cut into cubes
limes finely grated zest of 2
egg yolk 1
ice-cold water 20ml
For the marshmallow
gelatine 5 sheets, platinum grade
water 100ml
caster sugar 180g
liquid glucose 1 tbsp, or golden syrup
egg whites 70g (from 2 eggs)
fine sea salt ⅛ tsp
natural coconut extract a few drops
To assemble
redcurrant or cranberry jelly 120g
desiccated coconut 40g
To make the biscuits, place the flour, icing sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and lime zest and pulse a few times until the mixture is the consistency of fresh breadcrumbs.
Lightly whisk together the egg yolk and water then add to the mix, pulsing a few times until the pastry just comes together – it will be quite soft and wet so don’t over-process it. Lightly flour a clean work surface then tip the dough out on it and knead gently into a smooth ball. Divide the pastry into two equal pieces, wrap each loosely in clingfilm and press gently to form two flattish discs. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.
When ready to bake the biscuits, preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 4 and line two baking trays with baking paper.
Remove one piece of pastry from the fridge and if it has been chilled for more than a few hours, allow it to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, tap the pastry all over with a rolling pin to soften slightly, then roll it out to about 5mm thickness. Using a round cookie cutter 5-6cm in diameter, cut out as many circles as possible and transfer them to the lined baking tray, placing them a few centimetres apart. Re-roll the pastry and cut out more circles – you should have 24 altogether. If the pastry has become soft, refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. Refrigerate or freeze the second disc of pastry for another time.
Bake the pastry circles for about 20 minutes, until the biscuits are light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the marshmallow, put the gelatine sheets in a container and cover with cold water, then set aside to soften.
Combine the 100ml of water, the sugar and glucose (or golden syrup) in a small saucepan and place over low heat. Stir with a hand whisk until the sugar has melted then increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. With a sugar thermometer in the pan, keep a close eye on the syrup. When the temperature reaches 120C (“firm ball”), place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-low speed.
When the sugar reaches 128C (“hard ball”), remove the pan from the heat, then squeeze the softened gelatine to remove the excess water and slide them into the hot syrup. Whisk carefully to combine, then increase the electric mixer to medium-high speed and slowly and carefully pour the sugar syrup over the egg whites in a steady stream. Continue to whisk until the mixture is glossy and thick, and the bowl of the mixer is no longer hot to the touch – about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, gently warm the cranberry jelly in a small pan to loosen it a little and transfer it to a small bowl. Place the coconut in a separate small bowl.
When the marshmallow is almost ready, add the coconut extract, then scrape the marshmallow into a piping bag fitted with a plain, 1cm round tip. Pipe a circular ring of marshmallow around the outside of each biscuit, leaving a clear circle about 1.5cm in the centre.
One at a time, pick up the biscuits by their pastry base (try to avoid touching the marshmallow as it will still be very sticky), turn it upside down and press the marshmallow ring lightly into the bowl of coconut. Turn upright and place back on to the baking tray. Carefully place a teaspoonful of the cranberry jelly in the centre of each biscuit, then set aside for the marshmallow to firm up and the jelly centres to set.
Helen Goh is a recipe developer and co-author of Sweet (Ebury, £27)
