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Cookies to take you back to your childhood

There’s something very nostalgic about passionfruit yo-yos, those short, crumbly cookies, flavoured with custard powder and sandwiched with a thick and creamy passionfruit icing.

Emelia Jackson’s passionfruit yoyos.
Emelia Jackson’s passionfruit yoyos.

There’s something very nostalgic about these short, crumbly cookies, flavoured with custard powder and sandwiched with a thick and creamy passionfruit icing. Growing up, almost every cafe I went to had a jar of yo-yos sitting on the counter, and for good reason – they are loved by everyone and a great recipe to make with the kiddies.

Passionfruit yo-yos

Method

Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and icing sugar until light and creamy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and beater to make sure there are no unmixed lumps of butter. Sift the flour, custard powder, cornflour and salt onto the butter mixture and mix on low speed until a smooth paste forms. Line two baking trays with baking paper or silicone baking mats. Transfer the cookie mixture to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe swirls of the cookie mixture onto the trays, about 2.5cm in diameter. Place in the fridge for 30-40 minutes or until firm.

First, Cream the Butter and Sugar.
First, Cream the Butter and Sugar.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake the cookies in batches for 15 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden. Allow to cool completely. For the icing, beat the icing sugar, butter, passionfruit juice and lime zest, if using, with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until completely smooth. You may need to add a little more passionfruit juice to bring the mixture together, but don’t add too much as you don’t want a runny filling.

Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe it onto half of the cookies, then sandwich with the remaining cookies. Dust the yo-yos with icing sugar. Enjoy and reminisce.

Makes 16

This is an edited extract First, Cream the Butter and Sugar by Emelia Jackson (Murdoch Books, $59.99). Photography by Armelle Habib

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/cookies-to-take-you-back-to-your-childhood/news-story/d64480bc33c7f1e178de813fa6967cda