Cute Mickey and Minnie Mooncake Biscuits

Golden syrup

1.2kg sugar

1 litre water

1 lime, quartered and squeeze out juice, discard seeds and retain pulp and skin

1 tbsp maltose (mak nga tong)

Put all ingredients, except maltose, in a heavy-based pot. Boil until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and cook until syrup turns a light golden colour.

Turn off the heat and add maltose. Stir to dissolve and leave to cool completely.

Mooncake biscuit dough

300g superfine flour, sifted

Ingredients (A)

200g golden syrup

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

¾ tbsp alkaline water

50g corn oil

Filling

300g lotus seed paste

100g chicken floss

Egg glaze – (combined)

1 egg yolk

1 tsp water

Pinch of salt

A little thick soy sauce (for colour)

Combine ingredients (A) in a mixing bowl. Cover with cling film and leave aside for 5-6 hours. Add sifted superfine flour to ingredients (A) and mix into a dough. Cover with cling film and rest for several hours.

Divide dough into small portions, flatten into a disk and wrap each around a small ball of prepared filling. Lightly dust balls with flour and press into figurine moulds. Knock out moulded dough and place on greased baking trays. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Leave to cool slightly. Brush with egg glaze and bake again for another 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

For the filling: Wrap a little chicken floss in a small portion of lotus seed paste. Press into a small ball.

Mocha Mooncake

150g golden syrup

75g butter

1 tsp instant coffee granules

½ tsp alkaline water

1 tsp coffee paste

225g plain flour

25g cocoa powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Filling

500g lotus seed paste

350g chocolate lotus paste

50g sultanas

50g chocolate chips

Glaze (lightly beaten)

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp water

Pinch of salt

Combine golden syrup and butter in a small saucepan over a very low and gentle heat. Once the butter dissolves in the golden syrup, take saucepan off the heat. Put instant coffee granules in a fine sieve and use a metal spoon to break up the granules into the hot syrup. Stir well to mix. Leave to cool, then add coffee paste and alkaline water to mix.

Sift flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into the cooled coffee syrup mixture. Mix well into a smooth dough. (Do not knead.) Leave aside to rest for 2-3 hours. Divide dough into portions of 40-45g each.

Roll out a portion of the dough into a thin circular piece. Put a piece of filling in the centre and wrap it round. Make sure that the filling is completely sealed.

Lightly dust a wooden mooncake mould with flour and tap out any excess flour. Press the ball of dough into the mould.

Tap out lightly to dislodge the mooncake. Place the mooncake on a greased baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven to cool for 6-7 minutes. Brush with glaze and bake for a further 10 minutes.

For the filling: Roll out lotus seed paste on a piece of plastic sheet. Roll out chocolate lotus paste the same size as the lotus paste. Place the chocolate lotus paste on top of the lotus paste. Sprinkle over with sultanas and chocolate chips. Fold in half and sprinkle with another layer of sultanas and chocolate chips. Fold in half again and sprinkle with a few more sultanas and chocolate chips. Fold over again and now there will be several layers. Cut into squares and mould each square into a round ball to be used as filling.

Lotus Seed Paste and Black Sesame Shanghai Mooncake

Shanghai pastry skin

300g superfine flour

40g custard powder

1 tsp baking powder

100g icing sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

60g shortening

60g butter

Filling

100g black sesame paste

50g peanut butter

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp butter

500g white lotus seed paste

Egg glaze (lightly beaten and strained)

1 egg yolk

Pinch of salt

1 tsp water

Some black and white sesame seeds

Sift flour, custard powder and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Sift in icing sugar to mix. Add egg. Combine shortening and butter into the mixture and lightly mix in to combine (do not knead) until a soft dough is formed. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into portions of 60g each, and flatten into disks. Wrap a piece of filling in the centre and shape into a dome. Arrange on greased baking trays.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10-15 minutes. Remove the tray and leave aside to rest for 5 minutes. Brush the mooncakes with egg glaze and continue to bake for another 15 minutes.

For the filling: Combine black sesame paste, peanut butter, salt and butter together. Make into very small balls of 25g each. Divide lotus seed paste into 75g each. Wrap a piece of black sesame paste mixture in the centre of the lotus seed paste ball.