Arnott's Has Just Released the Recipe for Its Nostalgic Iced VoVo
The Australian baker is releasing a new recipe every week until social distancing restrictions are lifted.
Those currently working from home have probably seen two major changes to their routine: less shoes and more snacks. To help with the latter, Australia's much-loved biscuit maker Arnott's is opening its vault and releasing some of its coveted recipes — for the first time in history.
For weeks one and two of the snack expert's Big Recipe Release it unveiled its Monte Carlo and four-ingredient Scotch Finger recipes. Next up is a much-loved childhood-favourite: the Iced VoVo. Topped with pink fondant, raspberry jam and coconut, it's a little like Arnott's answer to the lamington.
This recipe has been adapted for home bakers by Arnott's Master Baker Vanessa Horton, who suggests creating love heart shaped bikkies for mum — but, honestly, you can create whatever shape you like. Have a dinosaur shaped cookie cutter? Go wild. None at all? You can just cut them into squares.
As you'd expect, you do, in fact, need flour to make Iced VoVos, but we've rounded up some of the spots selling the essential ingredient across the country, which aren't supermarkets.
Australia's oldest baker will continue to release a new recipe for one of its famous biscuits every week until social distancing regulations are lifted. Next up, will it be the Tim Tam? Mint Slice? Pizza Shapes? We'll have to wait and see.
In the meantime, though, here's the Iced VoVo recipe:
ARNOTT'S ICED VOVO
180 grams unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (75 grams) soft icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (300 grams) plain flour
Royal Icing
1 large egg white
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon glucose syrup
1-2 drops pillar box red colouring
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
Heart-shaped cutter (optional)
Piping bag and nozzle (optional)
Method
Pre-heat fan-forced oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, icing sugar, and salt for two minutes or until pale and creamy. Sift the flour into the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
Place half the mixture between baking paper and roll out to approximately five millimetre thickness. Using a six centimetre heart shaped cutter, cut out biscuits, transfer to baking sheets. Repeat rolling and cutting heart shapes with remaining mixture, rerolling scrap dough to make more hearts.
Bake for 16–18 minutes or when biscuits start to turn golden. Leave on the tray to cool.
Royal icing
Place egg white in a clean mixing bowl and mix on low speed with the whisk attachment until the whites begin to break up. Gradually add the icing sugar, vanilla and glucose, whisking until combined and glossy. If the mixture is too stiff add a teaspoon of water to loosen it up but ensure it isn't too runny as it will slide off the biscuit. It should form a smooth surface. Add your colour and stir until combined. Cover surface of icing with cling wrap until ready to use to prevent the icing going hard.
Place a small round tip (we used a no. 2 nozzle) and fill your piping bag 1/3 full of icing. Don't overfill your bag. Fill another piping bag with raspberry jam.
Pipe a jam strip down the centre of the heart biscuit and pipe pink icing around the edges before filling in the remainder of the heart with icing.
Sprinkle with coconut. Place iced biscuits in a single layer of an airtight container to set overnight.
Tips
Be very light handed when adding your colour to ensure a soft pink colour.
If you don't have a piping bag, you can use a snap lock bag and snip the corner off.
Biscuits can be made into any shape, including the traditional rectangle.
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