Shortbread biscuits sandwiched with lemon icing. Melting Moments are a timeless Australian cafe favourite! True to their name, they literally “melt” in your mouth. They are delectable!
Melting Moments – flashback!
I am pretty sure Melting Moments is one of the first baked goods I ever attempted to make. The recipe from the Women’s Weekly “Best Ever Recipes” cookbook published back in the 1970’s or 1980’s which, to this day, is still my all time favourite cookbook. It holds such sentimental value, being the very first cookbook I ever owned. (Actually, “owned” is a bit of a loose term given I stole it from my mother. 😂)
The recipe I use today is based on the original Melting Moments recipe from this cookbook, though the ingredient quantities and mixing method has been slightly tweaked for what I think is a better “melt in your mouth” texture.
Also, the original recipe called for star shaped biscuits to be half dipped in chocolate then sandwiched with orange buttercream frosting, as pictured above. These days the popular cafe variety is plain biscuits joined with lemon frosting which is what I’m sharing today.
Ingredients in Melting Moments
Melting Moments are shortbread cookies joined together with lemon buttercream frosting. While some recipes call for custard powder to make the cookies more yellow, I personally prefer the flavour without imitation custard flavour. 🙂
The cookies
Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour.
Cornflour / cornstarch – This is what gives shortbread cookies the signature soft “crumbly” texture.
Icing sugar (soft) / powdered sugar – This is the sweetener for melting moments which gives the cookies the signature shortbread cookie texture (ordinary sugar makes them harder).
⚠️ Australia – Get packets labelled “SOFT icing sugar” or “icing sugar mixture” not pure icing sugar (packet labelled as such). Soft icing sugar is sugar mixed with cornflour/cornstarch, tapioca that is used for fluffy frostings. Pure icing sugar (packet labelled as such) is made with 100% sugar only and is used for icing that sets hard, like royal icing.
Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature which is (technically!) 17°C / 63°F. Don’t let the butter soften too much else the dough is a little more tricky to roll into balls.
Vanilla extract – For flavour. Extract is better than imitation essence. I wouldn’t use vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste for this purpose – it’s a waste!
lemon ICING
Older-style recipes, such as the original Women’s Weekly recipe, tended to use icings which are not as creamy but firmer and a bit crumbly. These days, the cafe versions use buttercream frosting which is soft, creamy and fluffy, with the most common being lemon flavoured. So that’s what I use in my recipe. However, I’m also including a passionfruit version too!
Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature so it can be whipped into a fluffy frosting.
Soft icing sugar / powdered sugar – As noted above, be sure to get soft icing sugar! If you use pure icing sugar the frosting will not be soft and fluffy, it sets hard.
Lemon – Both zest and lemon juice.
For a passionfruit frosting, you will need passionfruit pulp (fresh, not canned, it’s too sweet) plus a bit of lemon to balance out the flavours.
How to make melting moments
Cream butter – Place butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl. Beat for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy, starting on low speed to avoid an icing sugar cloud-storm.
Stir in dry in 3 lots – Add 1/3 of the cornflour and flour, then stir it in with a rubber spatula. Once the flour is incorporated, add half the remaining cornflour and flour, stir in, then repeat. The mixture is a a little softer than usual cookie dough, but it shouldn’t be pourable.
Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the trays – 28 mounds in total. A cookie scoop with a lever is handy here!
Roll – Then roll into balls using lightly floured hands to prevent the dough from sticking. As mentioned above, this dough is a little softer that typical cookie dough.
Flatten with fork – Use a fork dipped in flour to press the balls down to 1 cm / 0.4″ thickness.
Bake for 15 minutes in a 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven, switching the tray shelves and rotating at the 10 minute mark. The cookies should be very pale golden, not browned.
Fully cool on the trays.
Lemon icing – Meanwhile, make the lemon icing. Beat the butter first until creamy, then gradually add the icing sugar, starting on low with the handheld beater to avoid a snow-storm. Add the lemon zest and juice, then beat on high for 2 minutes to make the frosting nice and fluffy!
Sandwich the melting moments together with lemon frosting. A piping bag makes short work on this as well as making the edges of the icing nice and tidy, but you could just spread with a spoon or knife.
Refrigerate 1 hour – You can eat the cookies straight away but the frosting will be a little soft so it squirts out when you bite into the cookies. So to reduce squirt-age, I like to refrigerate the melting moments for 1 hour to set the frosting. Then bring to room temperature before eating which softens the frosting again, but it’s still not as soft as when freshly made so it won’t squirt out as much.
(I really never thought I’d use the word “squirt” so much in one paragraph. What has become of me?? 😂)
Why homemade tastes better
Make these for afternoon tea, for a bake sale, for book club with your friends. Or, just because homemade Melting Moments really are that much better than mass-produced store bought ones. Yes, I really did buy some so I could tell you that the cookies aren’t as “melt in your mouth” and the frosting is usually dried out rather than creamy inside.
But the thing that bothers me the most is that many store bought cookies aren’t made with butter but instead use more cost effective fat options like vegetable shortening which have no flavour. Butter is what makes these so good!!
I hope you get a chance to make these one of these days. They really are special! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Melting Moments
Ingredients
Melting moments:
- 250g (2 sticks + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter , softened (Note 1)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (not PURE icing sugar, Note 2)
- 1 1/2 cups plain / all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornflour / cornstarch
Lemon icing:
- 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
- 2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (not PURE icing sugar, Note 2)
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Passionfruit icing:
- 80g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
- 2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (not PURE icing sugar, Note 2)
- 4 tbsp fresh passionfruit pulp , (not canned, too sweet)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced). Line 2 trays with paper.
- Cream butter – Place butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl. Beat for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy (start on low to avoid an icing sugar cloud-storm).
- Dry in 3 lots – Stir in cornflour and flour in 3 lots using a rubber spatula. (ie add 1/3 of flour + cornflour, stir in, repeat twice more).
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the trays (cookie scoop handy here), then roll into balls using lightly floured hands (to prevent it from sticking). You should have 24 – 28 balls.
- Bake – Press down into 1 cm / 0.4" thickness using a fork. Bake for 15 minutes, switching the trays at the 10 minute mark. Fully cool on trays.
- Sandwiching – Pipe frosting onto half the melting moments, then sandwich with remaining cookies.
- Set – Refrigerate for 1 hour to set the frosting (else it's so soft, it squirts out!). Then remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to serving.
Lemon icing:
- Cream butter – Place butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium high for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy. Add 1/3 of the icing sugar, then beat in starting on low and increasing to high (to avoid snow-storm!). Repeat another 2 times.
- Beat 2 minutes – Add lemon zest and juice. Then beat on high for 2 minutes until fluffy. Transfer to piping bag, snip end off to make a 1cm / 1/2" hole. Use per recipe.
Passionfruit icing:
- Same method as above for lemon icing.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
This happens a thousand times a day. You can see how much he loves it. 😂
With the very greatest of respect, but I don’t think I’ll be trying these… I have an extremely good recipe from the PWMU cookbook(Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Union), which uses custard powder in the biscuit, sandwiched together with a vanilla butter icing. My father LOVED them, and they have been and still are a great hit in my family. In my humble opinion, you just can’t beat the custard powder. It gives it a really lovely vanilla flavour and a beautiful yellow colour. Pure bliss!
Looks declious 😀
There is a french variation of “melting moments” named “macaron”.
Different ingredients (egg-white, sugar, almonds + butter cream in all kinds of variation)
but almost identical look
Although they look similar, they aren’t anything alike. Shortbread is a very different texture to a macaron, which is more like a meringue or marshmallow.
Macarons are very different from melting moments but equally delicious in their own way. I have never tried making macaron as they look quite tricky, whereas school children can make good melting moments with a little supervision. I suggest you try them both 🙂
I’m definitely going to try this. Every year I have to make a big batch of cookies for my mother-in-law and a couple of fruitcakes. It’s a Charlie Brown Christmas for me. I think that’s why I prefer Easter. LOL
They were also called
Yo Yo’s.
looking forward to trying your tweaked recipe. 👍🏻
Yo-yos are similar but contain custard powder . Giving them a different taste .
Yes, the custard powder definitely adds a different flavour! N x
Could you make these gluten free?
My mother used to make these with GF flour all the time. They still tasted good
Really!! I want to try! N x
Thanks for your reply Belinda, I’ll give them a go.
Hello Nagi 😉
Thank you for this fabulous recipe, I will be making them as part of my Christmas cookie collection this year.
I have gone through the recipe, however (unless I’m blind, which is quite possible 🙂 ) I cannot see the passion fruit icing version?
It’s in the recipe card 🙂 I also had to go back and double check
I still have that edition of the book in my cupboard. Melting moments are the best. My mum used to make these and they were so good, the shop bought ones these days are ordinary as.
It seems “Melting Moments” got confused somewhere along the line in baking history with “Yo-Yo Biscuits” which my nanna has made since atleast the 1950s!
We can only get pure icing sugar in my country. What could I add to the icing sugar to make it “soft” please ?
Hi Peta, simply remove 1 tbsp of pure icing sugar and replace it with 1 tbsp of cornflour / cornstarch. Please let us know how it goes!
Thank you very much for the advice. Will give it a bash and let you know the outcome. Much appreciated
Hi Nagi,
Just wondering how baking these in a humid environment would go? I have had limited success in the past, can you advise? thankyou Fiona
Hi Fiona! It was pretty humid on some of the days I made them and they were fine. Store in the fridge! N x
Hi Fiona, I would recommend you to place your flour, icing sugar and cornflour in the fridge for an hour before starting. This should help with handling your melting moments mixture before baking. Don’t forget to use floured hands before rolling them into balls. And same place your icing sugar in fridge before making your icing. Hope that helps! Please let us know the results!
Thankyou so much
JB
all-time favorite, also my 1st ever cookbook
OOOO – need to make these soon – I used to make batches of these for my Dad who loved them!
OMG…YES, YES, YES!!!!
100% making these…who doesn’t love the Womens Weekly Cookbooks.
Dozer is adorable, its hard not to kiss & cuddle them all the time 🙂
He is a total distraction in the office 😂
Biscuits or the dog?
😂 yes that one made me smile. I must have my copy somewhere. One of my first cookbooks
I love melting moments ❤️