Easter Lebkuchen

Ingredients:

115g butter, softened

115g brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup treacle

400g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

100g dark chocolate, melted

50g milk chocolate, melted

To make the Lebkuchen:

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in egg and treacle.

3. Sift flour, ginger, cloves and chilli powder into mixture.

4. Mix together with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a dough.

5. Knead dough lightly until smooth.

6. Chill dough for 30 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

8. Roll out Lebkuchen dough on lightly floured surface until 3mm thick.

9. Cut out shapes using Easter egg shaped cookie cutters.

10. Space Lebkuchen 3cm apart on trays lined with baking paper.

11. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until Lebkuchen are pale golden.

12. Cool on wire racks.

To decorate:

1. Dip cooled Lebkuchen face down into melted dark chocolate and place on wire racks to set.

2. Using a piping bag, drizzle melted milk chocolate over the dark chocolate.

Easter Chocolate Biscuits

Ingredients:
110g butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
125g dark chocolate, melted
250g dark chocolate, chopped
1 packet speckled solid milk chocolate easter eggs
50g dark chocolate, melted (extra)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line 2 baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until very pale and creamy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Stir the sifted flour, cocoa powder and melted chocolate through the mixture.
5. Stir in the chopped chocolate.
6. Shape the mixture into balls (about the size of 1 tablespoon) and place on baking trays.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cracks begin to appear on the surface.
8. Cool on wire racks.
9. When cool, dip easter eggs into the extra melted chocolate and place one on top of each biscuit.

Adapted from "Double chocolate cookies" in Donna Hay. (2007). Simple essentials: chocolate. Pymble, N.S.W.: Harper Collins Publishers Australia.