CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND HEDGEHOGS
2 egg whites
175 g ground almonds
175 g icing sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sieved
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tbsp amaretto liqueur or milk
200 g dark chocolate
50 g chocolate vermicelli
1
Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3; grease and line a large baking tray
2
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks then carefully fold in the rest of the ingredients
3
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and snip the tip off; pipe 2 ½ cm rounds with a point at one end onto the baking tray
4
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and crisp
5
Allow to cool completely before decorating
6
Melt the dark chocolate and dip the more rounded half of each biscuit first in the chocolate and then into the vermicelli, then place on a sheet of greaseproof paper to set
7
Fill a small piping bag with the remaining melted chocolate, cut off the very tip and pipe a pair of eyes on the pointed, plain end of the biscuit
