Celebrated as sweetie pies, these delectable delights are also known as chocolate kisses or cutie pies. Picture: velvety chocolate embracing fluffy marshmallows, creating a delightful blend of flavours that bring back fond childhood memories. Indulge in the magic and sweetness of these treats, no matter what you choose to call them.

Ready to sweeten your day? Make your own sweetie pies at home with our easy and fun recipe. It's not just a delicious treat; it's a chance to get creative in the kitchen together, share a laugh, and try not to eat all the chocolate before it makes it into the pies! 😉 For an extra touch of magic, consider dusting your sweetie pies with a sprinkle of edible gold dust and make each bite sparkle.✨

Ingredients (makes 20–30 sweetie pies, depending on size):

For the vanilla marshmallow fluff:

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• ¾ cup (180ml) sugar
• ½ cup (125ml) liquid glucose — you can only buy liquid glucose from baking stores and pharmacies
• ½ tsp (2.5ml) vanilla extract

For the sweetie pies

• 20–30 mini round wafer biscuits (5cm in diameter), or you can use any biscuit or wafer of your choice. Marie biscuits are a good option too
• 200–300g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 x Nicoletta Gold Shimmer Dust

Method:

1. Place the egg whites, sugar and liquid glucose into a glass bowl and place this over a pot of simmering water.
2. Using an electric hand beater, beat for approximately 15 minutes or until the meringue becomes thick, glossy, and reaches a temperature of 60°C, as measured by a sugar thermometer.
3. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a cooler bowl. Add the vanilla extract. Continue to whisk the meringue by hand until it cools down completely and increases in volume. You now have marshmallow fluff.
4. Transfer your marshmallow fluff to a sterilised, airtight jar and keep it in the fridge until ready to use. This should keep for up to a week.
5. To begin making your sweetie pies, place baking paper underneath a cooling rack and spread out the mini round wafers.
6. Fill a piping bag with your home-made marshmallow fluff and carefully pipe rosettes onto each of the mini round wafers. So, starting from the outside, pipe inwards in a concentric circle, lifting the piping bag slightly as you go to create a little tower.
7. Place the chocolate pieces into a glass bowl and set over a pot of simmering water allowing them to melt gently. You can also use a double boiler for this.
8. Once the chocolate has melted, drizzle this over the marshmallow topped wafers, until fully coated.

9. Allow to set by refrigerating them for a couple of minutes.

Once set, gently brush a little gold dust onto each sweetie pie to decorate. You can also load some gold dust onto the tip of a fine brush and blow on it gently to create a softer dusting.

Happy baking! Here's to sweetie pies and even sweeter memories.🧑‍🍳

Thanks to Luisa Farelo for her recipe and styling.