White chocolate peppermint flødeboller

To make the cookies, sift the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and then whisk together to combine. Put the butter and sugars in a large bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat together for a couple of minutes or until smooth and creamy. Add the dry ingredients and mix on a low speed until the flour has just been incorporated into the butter, stopping when the dough is still crumbly but only once you can no longer see any flour.

Tip out the dough on a worksurface and use your hands to bring it all together. Form into flat disc, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour before using.

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Remove the dough from the fridge and, on lightly floured worksurface, roll out to 3-4mm thick and cut out as many 5cm round cookies as possible before re-rolling the scraps to get to 20. Put the cookies onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

For the meringue filling, put the egg whites and sugar into a large heatproof bowl, set over a pan of gently simmering water and gently stir with a whisk until the sugar has dissolved (if you test a little in between your fingers it shouldn’t feel grainy), and the mixture feels hot to the touch. Remove the bowl from the heat and, using an electric mixer, whisk for 7-10 minutes or until the meringue holds stiff glossy peaks and is at room temperature. Add the peppermint extract and whisk briefly to combine.

To assemble, scrape the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a plain round piping tip. (If you want to make the flødeboller extra special, you could put a dollop of ganache or even a Lindt chocolate ball on top of each cookie before adding the meringue.) Pipe three rounds of meringue onto each cookie, each a little smaller than the one below, so it resembles a Christmas tree shape. Put the cookies onto a baking tray and freeze for an hour.

For the coating, put the white chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and combined. Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside until cooled but still thin and pourable. Put the cookies onto a wire rack set over a piece of baking paper. Spoon over the white chocolate coating and, working quickly, sprinkle over the crushed candy canes. Repeat with all of the cookies.