Bourbon biscuits

Not quite the same as the ones in the shop, but a good homage to them and I prefer them as they are homemade! Add a dash of Bourbon for a fun twist on the name!

1. 1

   Put the soft butter and the Muscovado sugar in a mixing bowl and beat together for a couple of minutes, then beat in the golden syrup. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add 1 tbsp milk and beat together slowly until it comes together to form a dough, adding more milk if needed (I do use the full 2 tbsp). It should be a fairly soft dough rather than a crumbly one, but not sticky.
   
   Dust the worktop with a little extra flour. Form the dough into a ball then roll out on the floured surface to about 4mm thick. Cut into a rectangle and cut out biscuits either by hand (e.g. rectangles 3.5 cm X 7 cm) or with a cookie cutter. Re-roll the dough as necessary. Carefully lift the cut out biscuits onto a baking tray lined with baking paper or a silicone mat. Dot the surface of each biscuit with a few holes (e.g. with a skewer or a fork) and sprinkle a little granulated sugar or golden caster sugar over the top. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes (not essential, but I find this does give a better result as it stops them from spreading). Meanwhile preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.
   
   Bake for 8-10 minutes. until just firming up. Remove from the oven, leave on the baking tray for at least 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
   
   For the filling, beat the butter until really soft, sift in the icing sugar and the cocoa and beat again. Add a splash of milk and a little Bourbon if using, then beat for about 5 minutes until you have a light and creamy buttercream, adding in a little extra sifted icing sugar / another splash of milk if needed to get the right consistency.
   
   Spread about 2 tsp buttercream onto the base of half the biscuits, spread to the edge and place another biscuit on top. Smooth the sides if needed.