Great British Bake Off’s second episode of this year’s series will be broadcast tonight as the remaining bakers take on biscuit week.

This week’s episode will see them attempt to create filled ginger snaps as the signature bake and jam biscuits as the technical challenge. At the end of the show, the bakers will make a showstopper and this week their task is to create interactive toys with biscuits.

If you’d like to bake along with tonight’s show, you can follow Dr Oetker’s Vanilla Heart Cookie Sandwiches recipe.

You can show off your bakes on Twitter using the hashtag #GBBOTwitterBakeAlong. 

Dr Oetker’s Vanilla Heart Cookie Sandwiches recipe

This recipe makes an easy bake with 14 portions and takes 60 minutes to do.

Ingredients:

For the biscuits;

  • 125g lightly salted butter (4 1/2 oz) softened
  • 125g caster sugar (4 1/2 oz)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 5ml Dr. Oetker Madagascan vanilla extract (1 tsp)
  • 250g plain flour (9 oz)
  • 1 Dr. Oetker baking powder sachet (1 tsp)

To decorate;

  • 25g unsalted butter (softened)
  • 40g icing sugar (1 1/2 oz)
  • 2.5ml Dr. Oetker Madagascan vanilla extract (1/2 tsp)
  • 100g raspberry jam (3 1/2 oz)

Recipe:

Step 1: Line 2 large baking trays with baking parchment. In a bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar together until soft and creamy. Stir in the egg yolk and Vanilla Extract.

Step 2: Sift the flour and Baking Powder on top and blend together to form a mixture that resembles a crumble topping. Using your hands, bring the mixture together to form a firm dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and pliable.

Step 3: Roll out half the dough to a thickness no greater than ½ cm (¼ inch). Using a 6.5cm (2 ½ inch) wide heart-shaped cutter, cut out 14 hearts, re-rolling as necessary. Transfer the hearts to one of the baking trays and prick lightly with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Meanwhile, roll out the remaining dough as above. Using the same cutter, cut out more hearts but this time cut out the centres using a 3.5cm (1 ¼ inch) wide heart cutter to make heart-shaped frames. Re-roll the trimmings and cut out small hearts to make 14 heart-shaped frames in total. Arrange on the prepared baking trays and chill for 30 minutes.

Step 5: Ten minutes before baking preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan, Gas Mark 4). Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes until firm and lightly golden. Leave to cool on the baking trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 6: To decorate, put the butter in a bowl and beat until soft and pale in colour. Gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar until creamy and soft. Stir in the Vanilla Extract and spread a little over the underside of the whole heart cookies. Top with a little jam and sandwich together with a heart-shaped cookie frame. Fill the centre of each heart with a little more jam. Your cookies are now ready to serve and enjoy!

Here’s an expert tip to help you when making the biscuits. Once your cookies are assembled, you may find it easier to fill the centre of the heart with more jam by piping it through a small piping bag with a small piece snipped off the end. 

Another recipe you could try is Dr Oetker’s Jammy Dodger Blondies.

The Great British Bake Off will continue on Channel 4 on Tuesdays at 8pm.