Coffee and Chocolate Christmas Wreath

• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 2 teaspoons boiling water
• 250g (8 ounces) butter, softened, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1½ cups (330g) firmly packed CSR Dark Brown Sugar
• ¼ cup (25g) dutch cocoa powder, plus extra to serve
• 3½ cups (525g) White Wings Plain Flour (measure flour in two equal amounts)

Chocolate Sauce

• ¼ cup (60ml) pouring cream
• 100g (3 ounces) dark (semi-sweet) chocolate, chopped coarsely
• 1½ tablespoons hazelnut-flavoured liqueur

1. Combine coffee with the water in a small bowl; stir until coffee dissolves.
2. Beat butter, eggs and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Divide mixture into two medium bowls. Stir coffee mixture and cocoa into one bowl; keep the other bowl plain. Stir one amount of the sifted flour into the coffee mixture. Stir the remaining flour into the plain mixture.
3. Turn coffee dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth, wrap in plastic wrap. Knead plain dough until smooth, wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate doughs for 30 minutes.
4. Roll each dough half between sheets of baking paper until 5mm (¼-inch) thick; place on oven trays, refrigerate for 15 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two oven trays with baking paper. Draw a 25cm (10-inch) circle on each piece of baking paper; turn paper, marked-side down, on trays. (Use circles as a guide to position stars for wreath.)
6. Using the largest star cutter, cut out 40 stars. Use remaining cutters to cut out different-sized stars, re-rolling scraps as necessary. (Refrigerate dough for 10 minutes to firm if it becomes too soft.) Following the shape of the circle, place stars on trays, slightly overlapping to make two wreaths.
7. Bake wreaths for 15 minutes. Cool wreaths on trays for at least 1 hour before carefully transferring to the storage container.
8. Before serving, make chocolate sauce.
9. Dust wreaths with extra cocoa, serve with sauce.

Chocolate Sauce Method

1. Bring cream almost to the boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat. Add chocolate then liqueur to pan; stir until smooth.
2. Stand for 30 minutes or until thick.