Chocolate Viennese fingers

Preparation

Soften the butter at room temperature.

Method

1. 1 Butter and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
2. 2 Using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, beat together the butter and icing sugar until pale.
3. 3 Beat in the flours and vanilla extract (take care not to overbeat, as this will add air to the mixture).
4. 4 Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and pipe 16 fingers onto the baking sheet. Chill for 20 minutes.
5. 5 Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 (160°C for fan ovens), then bake the fingers for 12-15 minutes – but don’t let them brown. Leave to cool a little, then transfer to a wire rack.
6. 6 Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (the base of the bowl must not touch the water), add the chocolate and leave to melt for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. 7 Once the chocolate has cooled a little, reheat it again, then leave to cool once more – this avoids unsightly marks appearing once the chocolate sets (but it’s not compulsory).
8. 8 Tip the melted chocolate into a tall narrow beaker, then dip in each finger to half-way up – allow excess chocolate to drip back into the beaker.
9. 9 Leave the chocolate-dipped fingers to set on a wire rack.