Name: Julie Goodwin’s melting moments
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 180g butter, at room temperature; ½ cup (80g) icing sugar; 1½ cups (225g) plain flour; 1/3 cup (40g) custard powder; FILLING; 2 cups (320g) icing sugar mixture; 100g butter, softened; 2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind; 1 tablespoon orange juice; 1 tablespoon orange blossom water

There’s nothing like a good cuppa and homemade biscuit to elevate your day, and Julie Goodwin’s melting moments hit the spot every time. An Australian classic, these buttery biscuits are sandwiched with an orange-scented buttercream filling.

“These delicate melt-in-your-mouth treats are full of flavour and perfect with a cup of tea,” says Goodwin. Ready in just one hour, this easy recipe makes 24 melting moments to share with loved ones.

Want to make baking even easier? Check out our round up of the 7 best hand mixers in Australia.

Ingredients

180g butter, at room temperature

½ cup (80g) icing sugar

1½ cups (225g) plain flour

1/3 cup (40g) custard powder

FILLING

2 cups (320g) icing sugar mixture

100g butter, softened

2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line two large oven trays with baking paper.

Beat butter and sifted icing sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sifted flour and custard powder and mix to a soft dough. Roll walnut-sized balls of the dough in your palms and press onto prepared tray with a fork.

Bake biscuits for 10-15 minutes or until starting to colour slightly at the edges. The biscuits will still be soft when they come out of the oven; leave them to cool for a few minutes on the tray before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

FILLING

Place sifted icing sugar, butter, rind, orange juice and orange blossom water into a small bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Spoon into a piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle.

Pipe a walnut-sized blob onto half of the cooled biscuits; sandwich with remaining biscuits.

Dust biscuits with extra sifted icing sugar.

All brands of orange blossom water have different strengths, so start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste.

Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.
Julie’s tips

This recipe ran in The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2015 and was published online in 2024.