Ghoulish Shortbread Fingers

Queen of Chocolate: Kirsten Tibballs

In the lead up to Halloween, award-winning pastry chef, Queen of Chocolate and Bulla brand ambassador Kirsten Tibballs has whipped up some Ghoulish Shortbread Fingers and shared her recipe so you can create these at home, too.

 

Featuring a rich chocolate ganache made with Bulla Family Dairy's newly launched Bulla Pure Cream, sandwiched between two homemade shortbread biscuit fingers and decorated with bloody strawberry jam and almond finger nails, this deliciously, grisly treat is a simple and fun dessert to whip up for trick or treat with the kids!

Preparation time: 30 minutes + setting time
Cooking time: 18-20 minutes
Makes: 18 biscuits

Ingredients
shortbread pastry
150g unsalted butter
100g icing sugar
50g whole eggs
260g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

chocolate ganache
150g Bulla Pure Cream
225g good quality milk chocolate

assembly
30g seedless strawberry jam
2 drops red food colouring
18 flaked almonds

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C. Beat the butter into a thick, smooth paste with an electric beater or in a food processor. When smooth add the icing sugar and the eggs and combine. Add the flour, baking powder and finally the salt and mix until it comes together as a dough.
Press the dough into a neat flat square, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.
Roll the dough on a bench lightly dusted with flour and cut finger shapes 7cm x 1.5cm. Place the biscuits onto a lined tray and make impressions for the knuckles with a small knife and press a flat butter knife on the tip where the finger nail will go.
Bake for approximately 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the biscuits on the tray and store in an airtight container until you are ready to assemble.
For the ganache, boil the cream in a saucepan. Pour it over the milk chocolate which has been placed in a bowl and whisk together until combined.
Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the ganache and allow to sit at room temperature for approximately 2 hours.
To assemble, place the ganache into a piping bag with a round piping tip or into a zip lock bag and cut the corner off. Turn over every second biscuit and pipe ganache onto the base. Sandwich it together with a second biscuit.
Add the red colouring to the jam and mix it through. Spoon a small amount on the top finger where the nail goes and place an almond (pointy end out) on top. Only assemble the biscuits the same day they are eaten.