Homemade Squiggles

There are many things that Kiwis and Aussies each lay claim to; pavlova (ours), Split Enz (ours), Russell Crowe (technically ours), and the flat white (don’t listen to Starbucks, it’s ours.) But there’s one thing that’s unequivocally Kiwi and that’s hokey pokey. This crunchy honeycomb treat with a distinct golden syrup flavour has many uses, number one being our world famous Hokey Pokey icecream. Sometimes it gets covered in chocolate (Crunchie Bar) or added to cookies, and sometimes those two things are combined and we end up with a Squiggle.

Here’s my version of this treat – we’ve got a crunchy biscuit base, a dollop of scrumptious hokey pokey buttercream which is topped with crushed hokey pokey, and then the whole thing is covered in melted chocolate and drizzled with more buttercream. Don’t be fazed by all of the steps, the cookies and buttercream can be prepared in advance. I’m going to chalk this one up as another win for the Kiwis.

Hokey Pokey

Ingredients
5 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda

Method
Butter a 9” square tin and set aside.
Put the sugar and golden syrup into a saucepan and heat gently. Keep stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Increase the heat and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
Remove from the heat and add the baking soda. Stir quickly, the mixture will froth up and increase tenfold. Science is awesome! Immediately pour into the tin, don’t try and smooth it out because that will crush all the lovely bubbles that give it the honeycomb effect. Leave until it’s cold and hard and break into pieces.

Cookies

Ingredients
85g butter, softened
100g sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
200g flour, plus more for rolling
½ teaspoon baking powder

*400g dark chocolate (at least 50% cocoa) – for dipping

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a couple of oven trays with baking paper, set aside.
Sift the flour and baking powder together – set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together then add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Scrape down the side of the bowl if necessary.
Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until a soft dough forms.
Now, depending on what your weather is doing, you might be able to roll your dough straight away. Otherwise, pop it in the fridge for about 15 minutes so it’s easier to work with.
Flour your bench top and roll your dough to a thickness of about 5mm, then cut out. Pop the cookies on the baking trays, they won’t spread much so you can fit lots on one tray.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, just until the cookies start to turn a light golden brown. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

*Makes around 30 cookies, depending on the size of your cutter

Hokey pokey buttercream

Ingredients
100g butter, softened
170g icing sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons condensed milk
2 tablespoons golden syrup

Method
Beat the butter until it’s fluffy then add the icing sugar and mix well
Add the condensed milk and golden syrup and mix well again (add a tiny bit of milk if it’s too stiff)

Reserve 1/3 cup buttercream

Assembly
Spread a dollop of buttercream on each cookie. I’d cut out mine quite small (just 2”) so used around 1 teaspoon per cookie
Sprinkle some crushed hokey pokey on each cookie then pop them into the fridge to chill for 20 minutes
Using a double boiler or the microwave, melt 400g dark chocolate and set aside while the cookies finish chilling
Dip each cookie into the melted chocolate and allow the excess to drip off (using 2 forks is handy) and place onto baking paper
Pop the cookies back in the fridge until the chocolate is set
Add a tiny splash of milk to the buttercream you’ve kept aside and mix until it’s a good drizzling consistency. You can use a piping bag to pipe it onto to each cookie or drizzle it with a fork
Briefly chill again and then enjoy!

Store in an airtight tin.

Notes

• Cookie recipe slightly adapted from Nigella Lawson
• The hokey pokey recipe doesn’t make a large amount, but your dentist will thank you for that. Leftovers are best eaten within a day before it loses its crunchiness
• Don’t waste any leftover melted chocolate. Drop spoonfuls onto baking paper and top with nuts, dried fruit etc. and chill
• I used 62% dark chocolate to cut through the sweetness

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