When Christmas rolls around each year, my mum can often be found making dozens of these little croissant-shortbread-like creations, their centres filled with apricot or berry jam that glistens in the summer sun. Her masterful hands move quickly as she rolls, cuts, fills and rolls again. They can be a little time-consuming, which makes for a wonderful baking project on a slow Sunday morning, but, like most things that take time, they are always worth it.

Your biscuit tin will be abundant, and your friends and neighbours will be forever thankful when you package a few of them up and gift them out. They make for an enjoyable treat to accompany an espresso any time of the day.

Watch Silvia make this here

Download the recipe card here

Serves: a lot! Makes about 90.

Preparation: 1.5 hours

INGREDIENTS

300g plain flour

300g self-raising flour

25g vanilla sugar

2 tbsp sugar (optional)

250g unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon

300ml thickened cream

Jam of your choice (Thicker jam or conserve with no seeds works well)

Nutella (optional - the grandkids love them!)

Icing sugar, for dusting

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius, fan-forced.
Line two baking trays with sheets of baking paper.
In a large bowl, mix the flours, sugar and lemon zest to combine.
Add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub the butter and flour together until it is a breadcrumb-like consistency.
Add the lemon juice and cream and mix well until it forms a soft ball of dough.
Lightly dust your bench with flour and divide the dough ball into four equal pieces. Taking one piece of dough onto your floured bench, roll out into a circle until very thin (approximately 2-3mm thin).
Place a plate, measuring 15cm, on top of the rolled-out pastry and cut around to form a neat circle. Mum uses a frilly-edged cutter here, but a sharp knife will do the trick.
Slice this circle into 8 triangles and fill each with 1 teaspoon of your choice of filling, be that jam or Nutella.
Now take each triangle, and with the widest edge facing you, roll up and over the jam, tucking in the tip. Try not to roll them too tightly, Mum keeps them relatively loose.
Place each one on the baking tray as you go, about 5 cm apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry has a very light colour on top. Mum notes not to overcook them as they can become dry.
Once they are ready, remove from the oven and give them a slight jiggle around with your fingertips so the jam does not harden and stick.
Allow to cool and sift over a shower of icing sugar to serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Tips:
*You can easily halve this recipe or make the full batch and freeze half the dough.
*The biscotti also freezes well. Once baked, store in an airtight container with baking paper to separate the layers.
Acknowledgement: Generational recipe researched, written and tested by the talented Amy Minichiello.