Passionfruit Shortbread

When I was young, every family in my neighborhood had a flourishing passionfruit vine and as delicious as they are just scooped out and eaten, we also used them to make and fill these scrummy little shortbread fingers. Just roll into balls and lightly flatten if preferred.

• 200 grams butter at room temperature
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups plain flour
• ¼ cup cornflour
• pinch of salt
• ¼ cup passionfruit pulp, including seeds (about 4 large)

Filling

• 100 grams butter at room temperature
• 1½ cups icing sugar
• pulp of 2 passionfruit, including seeds

Preheat the oven to 160˚C.

Beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract until very light and creamy. Sieve the flour, cornflour and salt together. Add to the butter mixture along with the passionfruit pulp and beat gently to combine.

Roll tablespoons of the mixture out on a piece of baking paper into logs approximately 6cm x 2cm wide. If the dough is quite soft, refrigerate until firm before baking. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 15 – 17 minutes until lightly golden. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.

Filling: Beat the butter and icing sugar until creamy then beat in the passionfruit. Transfer to a piping bag with a fluted nozzle. Pipe a line of filling on half of the biscuits then sandwich with the remaining biscuits. Dust with icing sugar to serve. Makes about 16 double biscuits