The famous Australian Melting Moments recipe consists of two soft and buttery (melt in your mouth!) biscuits, sandwiched together with a tangy burst of sweet lemon icing.
Just 15 minutes prep time and ready to eat in 30 minutes!
What's the difference between Melting Moments and Yo-Yos... well, not a whole lot!
They're both 'prepared' in the same way, with two cookies being sandwiched together with icing, and they both have that sweet crumbly texture. But traditionally Yo-Yos are made with custard powder, while Melting Moments use cornflour instead!
Another similar variety of cookies that hits the same sweet spot are Monte Carlo biscuits!
So lets fill up the biscuit tin, stock up those lunch boxes, and maybe even bake a batch for a bake sale.
Whilst you can freeze any extra melting moments, I guarantee they won't last that long.
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
Let me count the ways...
- Classic recipe - there's a reason why some recipes become classics....it's because everyone loves them! They're also easy to prepare and budget-friendly.
- Basic baking ingredients - no fancy ingredients required. Flour, cornflour, butter and icing sugar are the main ingredients, so a batch of Melting Moments is an inexpensive treat to make.
- The kids love them! - and I don't just mean 'little kids'....you know what I mean...
- Conventional and Thermomix - you will find both methods in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
What You Need
Using staple pantry ingredients, I'm sure you already have everything you need at home!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method!
For The Biscuits
- Plain flour - also known as all purpose flour.
- Cornflour - known as cornstarch the US - see FAQs.
- Butter - softened to room temperature. Either salted or unsalted butter is fine to use.
- Vanilla extract - or vanilla essence.
- Icing sugar - use soft icing sugar mixture rather than pure icing sugar for the cookies.
For The Filling
- Butter - once again, softened to room temperature.
- Icing sugar - use soft icing sugar mixture. Or, you could also use pure icing sugar if you prefer as this sets harder, however, make sure to sift it first as it tends to form lumps.
- Lemon zest - use just the outer skin for the zest.
- Lemon juice - if you don't have fresh lemons, then you can use store bought lemon juice.
Equipment Required
Besides a couple of mixing bowls and spoons, you will need:
- Hand mixer or electric stand mixer for this recipe. Alternatively, you can use a Thermomix machine;
- Baking trays - lined with baking paper;
- Oven - I specify fan-forced oven temperatures in my recipes, so if you have a conventional oven, increase the temperature by between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius, but keep a good eye on these Melting Moments as you don't want them to brown - see Expert Tips.
Step By Step Instructions
It takes just half an hour to have these Melting Moments prepped, baked and ready to eat!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method!
Step 1 - Prepare The Flours
Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Sift the plain flour and cornflour into a bowl.
Set this bowl aside.
Step 2 - Beat The Butter And Icing Sugar
In a large bowl, add the butter, vanilla extract and icing sugar mixture.
Beat with a stand mixer or hand-held beaters until smooth and creamy.
Step 3 - Combine Both In Batches
In 2 - 3 batches, slowly add the sifted flours, mixing between each addition until all ingredients are combined.
Step 4 - Bake The Biscuits
Taking about 2 small teaspoons of mixture at a time, roll into balls and place each one 5cm apart on the prepared baking trays. Press the tops of the balls lightly with a fork.
TIP: You can alter the size to make either 16 large or 24 small melting moments, depending on your preference. I prefer to make them quite small since the cookies are sandwiched together with icing - this makes them quite a mouthful as is!
Bake for 15 minutes (do not overcook).
TIP - you want your cookies to still be pale when baked so make sure the oven is not too hot. A too hot oven will result in cookies cracking and browning too much.
Leave biscuits to cool on the trays for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will firm on cooling.
Step 5 - Make The Icing Filling
Beat together the butter, icing sugar mixture, lemon rind and lemon juice until smooth and creamy.
Join two cooled biscuits together with 1tsp of icing.
Expert Tips
Some simple tips for the perfect melt-in-your-mouth moments - every single time!
- I like to roll the dough into very small balls - as you sandwich two of the biscuits together with the icing you want to ensure that the cookies are small bite size. However you can make bigger, more chunky biscuits, like the cafe style ones, if you prefer, just increase your baking time ever so slightly.
- Press down lightly on the top of the biscuits with a fork before baking to get that classic lined appearance.
- Make sure your oven isn't too hot - avoid the biscuits cracking and browning by not over-heating your oven. Also turn the trays partway through cooking for even baking.
- Don't overcook - these cookies do not take long at all to bake! As all ovens are different, start checking around 12 minutes, although if they are bigger in size, they may take longer than 15 minutes. Melting Moment biscuits will firm on cooling.
FAQs
Very little! Melting Moments use cornflour (US = cornstarch), whereas Yo Yos use custard powder, so the flavour is slightly different. However, they are both traditionally bite size cookies, sandwiched together with icing.
Use soft icing sugar mixture in the biscuit mixture.
For the filling between the cookies, you can use either soft icing sugar mixture or pure icing sugar. I like to use pure icing sugar as it helps to set the filling firmer which holds the biscuits together well. If you use pure icing sugar, then I recommend sifting it to remove any lumps.
In Australia, the names cornstarch and cornflour are often used interchangeably, whereas in the US they are different products.
In the US, for example, cornflour is a finely ground cornmeal, and cornstarch is what we, in Australia, call cornflour. If you're in the US, you'll need cornstarch for this recipe.
Related Recipes
Melting Moments are popular for any occasion... morning tea, lunch boxes, parties and bake sales!
Here's some other sweet recipes you might like!
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Melting Moments
Ingredients
- 225 g (1 ½ cups) plain flour
- 75 g (½ cup) cornflour
- 250 g butter softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 80 g (½ cup) icing sugar mixture
For the filling
- 120 g butter softened
- 165 g (1 cup) icing sugar mixture or pure icing sugar
- 3 tsp lemon rind finely grated
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Sift the plain flour and cornflour into a bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the butter, vanilla extract and icing sugar mixture. Beat with a stand mixer or hand-held beaters until smooth and creamy.
- Slowly add the sifted flours (in 2-3 batches), mixing between each addition until combined.
- Roll mixture into 2 level teaspoonful sized balls and place 5cm apart on the prepared baking trays.
- Press the tops of the balls lightly with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes (do not overcook).
- Leave to cool on the trays for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the filling, beat the butter, icing sugar mixture, lemon rind and lemon juice until smooth and creamy.
- Join two biscuits together with 1tsp of filling.
Thermomix Method
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Measure the plain flour and cornflour into the Thermomix bowl and sift for 30 seconds, Speed 3, to combine. Place the flour mixture into a separate bowl and set aside.
- Place the room temperature butter, vanilla extract and icing sugar mixture in the Thermomix bowl. Beat for 30 seconds, Speed 4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for a further 30 seconds or until the mixture is pale, fluffy and smooth.
- Add the flour mixture and combine on Speed 1, slowly increasing to Speed 4 until smooth and completely combined (if your mixture is too sticky, add a little more flour).
- Roll mixture into two level teaspoonful sized balls and place 5cm apart on the prepared baking trays. Press the tops of the balls lightly with a fork.
- Press the tops of the balls lightly with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes (do not overcook). Leave to cool on the trays for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the filling, combine the butter, icing sugar, lemon rind and lemon juice for 30 seconds, Speed 4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for a further 30 seconds or until pale and smooth.
- Join two biscuits together with 1 teaspoon of filling.
Notes
- Use soft icing sugar mixture in the biscuit mixture.
- For the filling between the cookies, you can use either soft icing sugar mixture or pure icing sugar. I like to use pure icing sugar as it helps to set the filling firmer which holds the biscuits together well. If you use pure icing sugar, then I recommend sifting it to remove any lumps.
- I like to roll the dough into small balls - as you sandwich two of the biscuits together with the icing you want to ensure that the cookies are small bite size. However you can make bigger, more chunky biscuits, like the cafe style ones, if you prefer, just increase your baking time.
- Press down lightly on the top of the biscuits with a fork before baking to get that classic lined appearance.
- Make sure your oven isn't too hot - avoid the biscuits cracking and browning by not over-heating your oven. Also turn the trays partway through cooking for even baking.
- Don't overcook - these cookies do not take long at all to bake! As all ovens are different, start checking around 12 minutes, although if they are bigger in size, they may take longer than 15 minutes. Melting Moment biscuits will firm on cooling.
Cindy
Can these be frozen?
Lucy
They're best fresh! You can freeze the dough though!
Jas
Easy to make and tastes even better than store bought ones! Thank you.
Lucy
Thank you so much!