(makes 35-40)

Adapted from “Herbs” by Emile Tolley and Chris Mead

Use food colouring to colour sugar.

INGREDIENTS
175g unsalted butter (roughly diced and at room temperature)
½ cup milk
210g (1 cup) castor sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup apricot jam
2 tbsp chopped mint
150g dark chocolate
1/3 cup ground nuts (walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts)
1 tbsp dark rum
¼ cup water
1/3 cup red sugar
2/3cup yellow-orange sugar
mint for garnish

METHOD
Preheat oven to 165ºC.

Put butter, milk, castor sugar, eggs, baking powder and 2 cups of flour into bowl of an electric mixer and combine on low speed. Mix 2-3 minutes, scraping down bowl when necessary, then stir in remaining flour and vanilla. The dough should be smooth and soft.

Shape dough into smooth 2cm balls (each ball is half a peach).

Place balls on an ungreased baking tray into preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until biscuits are brown on the bottom. Cool biscuits

Place tip of a small knife in centre of flat side of each biscuit and rotate knife to make a hollow in biscuit. Reserve crumbs.

Warm jam with chopped mint. Melt chocolate and cool. Mix minted jam, chocolate, nuts and dark rum with reserved biscuit crumbs. Fill hollowed out biscuits with chocolate mixture.

Assemble Peach Buns by joining flat side of two biscuits together. Brush each Peach Bun with water and roll one side in red sugar for the blush. Sprinkle yellow-orange sugar onto Peach Bun to cover peach completely.

Put Peach Buns on a cake rack and place cake rack in very low oven. Leave Peach Buns to dry 5-10 minutes.

Pile Peach Buns on platter or into a bowl and garnish with mint.