Grapefruit creams

Instructions

1. For the cookies, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Give these dry ingredients a good whisk and set aside.
2. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the caster sugar and zest on medium speed – this will help release the grapefruit oils into the sugar, giving an even more vibrant flavour. Add the butter, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined but not aerated (we don’t want the cookies to spread too much in the oven). Finally, add the dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms. Wrap the dough in biodegradable plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1–2 hours. This will also ensure that the biscuits don’t spread too much while baking.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F fan-forced (200°C/400°F conventional) and line two baking trays with baking paper or silicone baking mats.
4. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out the chilled dough to 3-4 mm (one-eighth to three-sixteenth inches) thick. Using a fluted 5 cm (2 inch) round cookie cutter, cut out 36 rounds and arrange them on the baking trays, with 2-3 cm ( ¾–1¼ inches) between them. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies look dry all the way to the centre but are still blond. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely while you make the filling.
5. For the grapefruit cream, combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until cohesive and aerated – it will appear to split because of the grapefruit juice, but keep mixing until it comes together.
6. Spoon the cream into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ inch) star nozzle. Pipe 1–2 teaspoons of the cream in the centre of half the cookies and sandwich with the remaining cookies. Lightly dust the filled grapefruit creams with icing sugar.