Moments to melt for
Apologies for the lack of updates! I had a slew of posts that I had planned for this week, but a rather depressing incident with my hair has lead to a complete and utter lack of motivation on all fronts.
Quick recap - I discovered that my regular hairdresser has up and moved to a little country town called Bega (which is, funnily enough, where Bega cheese comes from). Tried a different hairdresser at the salon who is *meant* to be good with thick hair, and she completely massacred it - I have STUBBLE almost all over my head.
So a warning to anyone in Glen Waverley looking for a hairdresser - if you go to Hennesy Lane, do NOT let Kristie come anywhere near your head with any object with a sharp edge. This is why. As my darling Emma is no longer there, I would highly recommend that you try and get an appointment with the manager (I think his name is Dan? Some three-letter name, he is a GEM)
Anyway, enough of that ranting. Sorry, I’m still a bit traumatized from the whole thing.
Let’s talk about my pops for a second.
My father has two teeth left in his mouth. Count’em - TWO. This is due to a combination of factors - firstly, that dairy consumption is fairly low in Korea (back when he was younger, it was quite uncommon), and secondly, his laziness when it comes to dental care. To assist him in all activities that require teeth, he has a bright sparkly set of dentures which help to make him intelligible, but he says that he still has a lot of difficulty with foods that are tough or require a lot of chewing.
Not having dentures myself *insert happy tooth-chomping here*, I can’t say that I know what it feels like, but I do feel quite sorry for him when I’ve made something like cookies or pastries and I see him try and take a bite, then sorrowfully feed the rest to the dog if its something that will cause him too much grief to eat.
Of course, Mr Woofy takes great delight in those moments, but I get the feeling that they’re not so great for my dad.
Because of my dad’s dental situation, I’m always on the lookout for soft, tasty baked goods that may take his fancy - of course, buttery shortbreads and butter cookies fall into this category, but they can get tedious, which is why I’m constantly searching for biscuits (aka cookies) which have this texture, yet have different flavors that will satisfy a sweet craving.
One recipe that I’d had my eye on for awhile were these melting moments from my Good Taste Collection - Baking cookbook (which I believe is now out of print). While they are fairly common to see in the cookie jars of cafes around Melbourne, they’ve always looked so homely that I never felt the urge to try one. Despite the fact I didn’t know what they tasted like, I was driven to try the recipe as my last batch of shortbread cookies were not very well received - I could tell that pops was a bit sick of them, so it was time to give something new a try!
Now, the cookbook has this short sentence to say about these little morsels - “the name “Melting Moments” describes them perfectly: they melt in your mouth an instant after you bite into them.”
That would be a bloody understatement.
These cookies are MAAAHVELLOUS! Despite their rather plain appearance and diminutive size, they have the delicate shortness of the best shortbread biscuits, yet there is no dry chalkiness that can sometimes accompany this texture. Paired with the creamy orange filling, they are gorgeous little bite-size treats that are difficult to resist.
Apparently they can last up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in room temperature, but I haven’t had a chance to see whether that’s true or not!
Melting Moments
(from ‘Good Taste Collection - Baking’ by Anneka Manning)
Ingredients
Cookies
250g unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
55g pure icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
260g plain/all-purpose flour
50g cornflour/corn starch
Filling
60g butter, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
110g pure icing sugar, sifted
1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C, and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
2. Use electric beaters to beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract till pale and creamy. Sift together the flour and corn starch in a bowl, then add it to the butter and beat on the lowest possible speed till just combined and a soft dough forms (you may need to give it one or two quick kneads to bring it together).
3. Lightly flour your hands and roll teaspoonfuls of the mixture into small balls and place on the baking tray 5cm (2″) apart. Use a lightly floured fork to gently flatten each ball to about 3cm in diameter and 1cm thick.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes or till cooked through and golden. Cool them on the baking tray (they are extremely delicate and attempting to remove them from the tray before they cool may make them shatter into buttery crumbs), then remove them to a cooling rack and repeat with remaining mixture.
5. To make the filling: Use electric beaters to beat the butter, vanilla and orange zest in a small bowl till pale and creamy. Add the sifted icing sugar and beat till combined. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in fridge till required. Do not attempt to spread onto cookies that are still warm - the filling will melt away!
6. To assemble cookies: Spread the base of one cookie with filling, trying to keep it fairly even, then lightly sandwich with an uniced cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.
The next installment of the Basic Photography Tips for P&S users will be a bit late, I’ll hopefully be able to put it up within the next two days 
I’ll be covering exposure and flash, so if you’re interested, be sure to check back in a few days!
Technorati Tags: melting moments, butter cookies, shortbread, biscuits, cookies, sweets, baking, dessert, recipes
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Comments
ix-tab Oooh! I love these.
I work at a catering company, and we make and sell these a lot, though we call them yo-yo biscuits and make the butter cream thing with lemon juice and zest.
And they last for ages. Up to a week, at least, out of the fridge, in an airtight jar. So good.
Personally at home I like to make them with cocoa in the mixture, and with cocoa butter icing, and then refrigerate them for a taste sensation.
Ellie Anh - Thanks hon I’m the same, my knees go weak for rich, buttery, flaky things 
Kat - He does, I’ve been instructed to make yet another batch tomorrow 
Cooking Ninja - Thanks hon
Ix-Tab - I believe they’re they same thing, or just slight variations of each other
Bruno Ellie,
Sorry to hear about your hair disaster… I hope the “melting moments” helped you forget about it for awhile. They looked delicious!!
Mami Castaneda Oh, I found these cookies, sans filling, in another blog. I made them just last week and I was a bit disappointed with the taste. Though putting them through a cookie press sure made them look nice. The texture is to die for…but the taste came out a bit off due to the amount of corn starch, I think. It could be the brand I used or the age of the cornstarch. Don’t know. I mean to make them again…this time using half the corn starch and replacing the rest with powdered sugar or semi-sweet cocoa powder. Now thanks to you I have another variation to try!
Now, if only I could learn to make my blog look as polished as yours… :::grin:::
Belinda First off, Ellie…I am SO sorry about your awful experience with that dumb ass hairdresser. She was probably just jealous of your gorgeous hair. I am just as paranoid about my hair, so I totally empathize. 
In the close up photo, I am mortified for you by the short pieces that idiot cut into the length, but I promise, in the full photo, your hair looks beautiful…still healthy, gorgeous and shiny. I think you would have to look very close for the casual observer to detect the damage. How far away is the town that your favorite hairdresser relocated to? I would be tempted to make a day trip out of it and stick with her. A good hairdresser is worth her weight in gold.
Second…these Melting Moments are far from plain looking to me…they are lovely, and I think they could easily be renamed Tempting Moments! I’m glad your Pops enjoyed them, and Mr. Woofy didn’t get ALL of them!
Third…I tagged you for a “7 Random Things” meme. I hope you haven’t already done it!
Ellie Bruno - They’re helping to keep me distracted, though part of the distraction comes from trying not to think about the calories I’m consuming
Mami Castaneda - Corn starch shouldn’t have a taste, so I’d say it probably came down to the recipe :/ I’d say that you could probably add a little less, and maybe boost a stronger flavour with some vanilla or citrus zest 
As for polished blog…LOL! Thanks hon, I don’t actually consider this to be too polished, but its a far sight better than what it looked like when I first started out
Belinda - Tempting moments would actually be a good name for these Thanks for the tag, will try and get to the meme in the next few days!
As for the hairdresser…*sigh* my regular moved to another state, so it would be an overnight trip that cost more than the haircut, not reaaaally worth it. A friend has recommended a hairdresser to me so I shall be checking them out next time I’m in need of a trim
purple goddess Dude!!
Henessey Lane is da Debbil.
I cam outta there looking like Uncle Fester’s love child. 
Did you pop down to Proud Peacock for some soothing pho??
That’s what I did.
Glen Wobberley… great for food, lousey for good hair cuts.
Next time, try Ross Caia at the Glen.
Not bad.
lynn These look so delicious, whether or not you have teeth! I’ll definitely have to try them.
Mandy I know the feeling of having a bad hair cut too! It’s so hard to find a good hairstylist here that I have to keep my hair long and cut my own fringe!
I have heard so much about melting moments! Must really try making some one day!
Stuart wow, i just made some of these 2 days ago! I usually call them yoyo’s as well, because it’s easier
They’re also great with vanilla or coffee icing in the middle, i prefer those to the orange ones.
My recipe uses custard powder instead of the cornflour - custard powder is mostly just cornflour anyway but adds a bit of flavour i think (though you cut down the sugar so they aren’t oversweet).
Lisa Wow they look adorable and they sound wonderful! Hubbs’ favorite cookie is shortbread so these are a must try!
Thanks sweetie =)
xoxo
ilingc Ellie, I sympathise with the hair. I’ve never been to Hennesey Lane but a colleague of mine used to. I think she used to get her hair done by Kristie too. There was once that she came back and her hair was SUPER FAKE BLONDE (coz she always gets her roots done when she goes for a trim) and she was super pissed.
Suffice to say, she made such a big fuss about it that they offered to ‘fix it up’ for her for free.
I’m not sure she goes there anymore, I heard she now goes to some hair dresser in Carnegie.
Hair aside, as you know, I too heart melting moment and looking at yours is making me crave for one.
Callipygia I am so sorry to hear about your hair. There is nothing like sobbing in a salon, on top of a truly unforgiveable haircut. These cookies however, really do look like they could cheer anyone up! So puffy and cute.
Ellie Purple Goddess - Awww, I don’t think they’re all the devil :/ Emma was an angel…but now that she’s gone, I don’t know if I’ll let anyone there cut my hair after this incident! Haven’t been to proud peacock before, are they any good?
Parisukat - Thanks
Deborah - Thanks hon
Lynn - Hehe, cheers! Hope you like ‘em!
Mandy - Aww man, that sucks :/ especially since giving yourself a scalp massage never feels as good as having a hairdresser do it! I tried trimming my own fringe once…not good And yes, you must try these cookies, they are so delicious!
Peabody - That pretty much says it all, hey?
Stuart - Are they the same thing?? Some say they are, but I’ve seen cafes that have both of them in separate jars and sold as separate items!
Lis - No worries sunshine!
I-Ling - My sister goes to a hairdresser in Carnegie too Its a bit far for me though, but a friend has recommended a hairdresser in Eastland so I might give that a go next time!
Chef Tom I miss the days when I was a kid and my grandmother and I would bake together. I look forward to trying this recipe. Nice blog btw.
Les WOOOOW, those look GOOD! Must get out my conversion chart to figure out the “American’ measures!
Great photos too!
Ellie Chef Tom - Thanks I hope you like the recipe
Les - Cheers Hope the conversions weren’t too painful to do!
Melinda from Melbourne Larder Hi Ellie - I just found this recipe on your blog. Your photos are divine! This is very similar to my grandmother’s yo-yo recipe, which has definitely stood the test of time as these biscuits are always a favourite. I would recommend sticking with your homemade version and not bothering with the biscuits on sale at cafes around Melbourne - most of the time they are dry and tasteless. I don’t know what they do because these biscuits are so easy to make but they’re just never the same - perhaps it’s because they’re mass-produced rather than baked with love at home for family and friends.
Ellie Melinda - Cheers hon And I totally agree re: cafe cookies, those machine-made, mass-produced just can’t stand up to most home-made goods…which is I guess why non-cooking/baking friends are always surprised by how good this stuff tastes.
Ellie, I love these cookies! I have a real weak spot for anything buttery, rich and melt-in-your-mouth texture… You have done a great job with this!