I haven’t made Melting Moments in years. Not since my daughters were in kindergarten and I made a lemon curd version. Packaged in cellophane and tied with pretty ribbon for a school fete. My word associations for these delectable treats? The  Country Women’s Association. The Royal Easter Show. Spring fetes and fair. High tea on a Sunday afternoon. Sadly Melting Moments are not readily available commercially. They’re more of a home baked treat.  If I ever do come across them, usually at a  country bakery, farmer’s market or very occasionally  a gourmet city delicatessen, I will always buy them. Delicate, sweet, buttery, rich, crumbly, melt in your mouth bursts of nothingness. Sandwiched with a fruity butter cream. Pure heaven.

Surprisingly, Melting Moments are not all that difficult to make. Cream butter and icing sugar with the flavouring of your choice. Stir in sifted flour and cornflour. Roll the mixture into tiny teaspoon sized balls. Arrange on  baking paper lined oven trays. Flatten with a fork and bake in a slow oven. When cool sandwich with your favourite filling. Any assortment of buttercreams, ganache or curd.

Passionfruit is in season at the moment. Tart and sweet with an exotically tropical aroma. A perfect partner for rich buttery melting moment biscuits. For good measure I used passionfruit in both the biscuit and buttercream filling. And threw in a little roasted coconut for crunch. These beauties were ready for a lazy Sunday afternoon tea. Fragrant. Light as air. Pure Heaven.

Passionfruit Melting Moments With a Roasted Coconut and Passionfruit Butter Cream.

Makes 20 filled melting moments

For the Biscuits

250g butter, softened
4 passionfruit, pulp and juice
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups plain flour
3/4 cup corn flour

PREHEAT  oven to 150 C fan-forced and line two trays with baking paper.
IN A LARGE bowl, beat together butter, passionfruit pulp and juice, icing sugar and vanilla extract until light and creamy.
SIFT the flours together and add to the bowl in two batches. Stir with a wooden spoon  until the mixture is smooth.
FLOUR your hands as the dough is soft and sticky. Gently roll the mixture into balls and place them on the tray. I used a level teaspoon for each ball. Leave at least 3 cm between each ball. Use a floured fork to press down the top of each dough ball.
BAKE the biscuits for 15-20 minutes or until they start to turn golden. Rotate trays in the oven half way through.
LEAVE biscuits  to cool on the trays for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Roasted Coconut and Passionfruit Butter Cream

75g unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
4 passionfruit;  pulp and juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup fine coconut, lightly toasted

USE an electric mixer to beat the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
ADD the passionfruit pulp and juice, lemon juice, toasted coconut and beat until well combined.
SPREAD a teaspoonful of  buttercream over the flat side of  half the biscuits and sandwich together with the remaining half.