Raffaello Biscuits

Make sure the butter / margarine is at room temperature.

Use a blender or coffee grinder to finely chop the almonds, it should still be a bit chunky.

Add the the butter / margarine to a mixing bowl.

Add in the icing (confectionery) sugar.

Cream the butter / margarine & the icing sugar until well combined. This can be done by hand using a wooden spoon or with an electric mixer.

Pour in the vegetable oil.

Mix well.

Add in the vanilla & almond essence.

Then add in the all-purpose flour.

Add in the corn flour (Maziena), baking powder & the milk powder.

Finally, add in the chopped almonds.

Roughly mix using a wooden spoon.

Next, use your hands to bring the dough together.

Pinch off a small portion of the dough, approximately 10 grams.

Roll into balls.

Lay them onto a wax/parchment paper lined baking tray keeping spaces in between them as they will rise a bit.

Bake them for 10 minutes in the preheated oven at 180° Celsius.

The biscuits will be soft & easily breakable when they are still hot, allow them to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes, thereafter, carefully remove the biscuits from the hot tray & place onto a cooling rack.

Start by placing the white chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. I used Milky Bar.

Add in the vegetable oil. This allows to chocolate to weaken & become more silky when coating the biscuits.

Place the bowl into the microwave & heat for 30 seconds.

Give it a stir.

Place it back into the microwave for another 30 seconds & stir once more.

If the chocolate is fully melted, do not put it back into the microwave, if not, put it in for a few seconds more.The chocolate should be smooth & silky.

To another bowl, add the desiccated coconut.

Dunk the cooled biscuits one at a time into the melted chocolate, use a spoon to lift it out of the chocolate.

Thereafter, dunk it into the bowl of desiccated coconut & coat it well.

Set them aside on wax/parchment paper to allow the chocolate to set for a few minutes.

If you do not like white chocolate, you may opt to using milk chocolate, it’s just as delicious.

Plate & serve these Raffaello Biscuits with a glass of milk (optional).

They look like white balls of snow.

Store these Raffaello Biscuits in an airtight container or in a cookie jar for up to a two weeks.

These biscuits can also be enjoyed without any coating & they can be rolled into larger balls.

When baking the larger biscuits, bake them for 15 minutes.