Create a yummy forest display that the whole fam can dig into with these adorable hedgehog biscuits. They’re a fun and easy treat for the kids.

MAKES 15 // COOKING TIME 50 min

INGREDIENTS
250 g butter
180 g caster sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp vanilla essence
375 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
160 g milk chocolate, melted
100 g walnuts, chopped

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a baking tray.
2. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well until smooth. Add vanilla essence.
3. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the salt. Mix into the butter-sugar mixture.
4. Tip out the mixture on to a floured surface and knead for a few minutes, until a smooth dough forms.
5. Roll the dough into 15 balls. Flatten each ball into an oval with a slightly pointed tip. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
6. Bake for 7–10 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
7. Brush chocolate over the round half of each biscuit. Sprinkle with walnuts to create spikes and dot on a chocolate nose and eyes.
8. Arrange the biscuits on a platter decorated with nuts and leaves to look like a forest.

Tip: Kick it up a notch by using raisins for the eyes and slivers of glacé cherries for the mouths.

Recipe & Styling: Lisa Clark
Photography: Gareth van Nelson/HMimages.co.za