Praline:
½ cup hazelnuts, very lightly toasted and skins rubbed off
½ cup caster sugar
Biscuits:
2 ¼ cups self-raising flour
½ cup icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
250g cold butter, cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water
½ cup coarsely chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
Praline: Line a baking tray with baking paper. Coarsely chop hazelnuts. Place sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and stir over low heat until melted and golden brown. Add hazelnuts, stir then spread the mix onto prepared tray (do this quickly and don’t be too fussy). Chop praline into small chunks when completely cold.
Biscuits: Preheat oven to 180°C. Sift flour, icing sugar and cinnamon together. Place in a food processor with cold butter and vanilla and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add praline and water. Pulse until mixture just comes together.
Turn mixture onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle chocolate over. Bring together using your hands until you have a smooth dough. Break off tablespoon-size pieces and roll into balls. Place on lined trays and bake 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.
Stand for 2-3 minutes then dust generously with icing sugar before transferring to a wire rack to cool. When completely cold dust once more with icing sugar. Biscuits will keep for 5 days in an airtight container.
Makes 35-40
Recipe: Bernadette Hogg
Photograph: Rachael Hale
