Viennese Fingers

These little beauties always go down a treat at family parties! They are basically two shortbread style biscuits sandwiched together with fluffy butter cream (I say butter cream though I don't use butter for the filling in this recipe. Hard core butter creamers will curse me but I'm already over it). I like to dip them in Cadbury's chocolate (you will soon learn I'm particular about some ingredients and much more relaxed about others - I'll make it clear which haha). They last a couple of days tops in my house, but if you eat cake at the rate of a normal person then these treats will keep well for a good few days in an air tight tin. Made these for work last week and they seemed to be a hit :)

Viennese fingers looking lovely

Ingredients (makes around a dozen):

6oz margarine (butter isn't necessary I promise)

2oz sugar

6oz self raising flour

Couple of drops of vanilla extract

For the filling: 4oz icing sugar, 2oz margarine, drop of vanilla extract.

Pre-heat your oven to 160°c, 325°F or gas mark 3. Cream together the margarine and sugar (either by hand or in your beautiful mixer if your Mam couldn't sleep one night, stumbled across a flash sale on the shopping channel and ordered a jazzy ken wood stainless steel mixer at bargain price... No? Just my mother?).

Add the flour and mix well, adding the vanilla at this stage.
Add the mixture to a piping bag with a decent sized star nozzle. 

Nozzle isn't essential but it adds the lovely waved pattern

Grease a large baking tray and pipe out 7-8cm lengths, making sure you leave space between the fingers for oven spreadage! Naturally, you can either put a couple of trays in together or bake one at a time. I'll let you decide. 

Bob them in the oven and bake for around 18minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the tray with a fish slice and place on a cooling rack or grease proof paper. 

Once cooled, make the filling by sieving the icing sugar and beating with the margarine and vanilla. Important reminder for those with a flash sale kenwood - make sure the plastic cover is attached or you'll have recreated christmas '93 with a snow covered kitchen and will spend the next 10minutes wiping up sugar and breathing sugar into your lungs! 

Sandwich together the fingers in pairs (I kind of love the matching up bit, looking to see how accurate you've been with your piping. You've not done it right if you don't end up with a finger for a borrower sandwiched to a finger for Hagrid as your final match). 

Dip the ends in melted chocolate (I'm not going to say water bath over microwave because I have the microwave-melt down to a tee because life is too short - do what you like!). Leave for chocolate to set if your eyes and belly allow you. I reckon by the time you've washed up and put the kettle on and made a decent brew (no I am not about to do a step by step) they'll have set enough to get your gnashers round them! Enjoy folks xx