Peanut butter and jelly kisses

Tam West

The Bouchon Bakery in Beverly Hills does a very American peanut butter jelly macaron filling and, although I enjoyed a macaron masterclass with pastry chef Lee Ann Tolentino, they are too fiddly for me. I have made a much more forgiving kiss — what have become known as LA kisses in my home.

For more, see Eating LA, my guide to feasting on some of the newer food trends in the City of Angels.

For the biscuits

115 g	Butter
⅓ cup	Caster sugar
1	Egg
2 tsp	Golden syrup
1 cup	Flour
½ tsp	Baking powder
1 Tbsp	Matcha (green tea) powder, or use cocoa powder; use more to taste if wished
½ tsp	Baking soda, dissolved in 1 Tbsp warm water
1 jar	Jam, use as much as needed for filling (Main)

For the filling

2 Tbsp	Peanut butter, smooth (Main)
1 Tbsp	Butter, softened
1 ¼ cups	Icing sugar
½ tsp	Vanilla essence

Directions

To make the biscuits

1. Heat the oven to 180C.
2. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and golden syrup.
3. Sift in the flour, baking powder and matcha or cocoa. Add the baking soda dissolved in water and mix gently until just combined.
4. Place teaspoonfuls on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook 10-15 minutes.
5. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
6. Pair kisses of similar sizes. Spread peanut butter icing around the outside of one of each pair, and place a spoonful of jam in the middle and sandwich together with the partner.

To make the filling

Mix ingredients together with enough boiling water (approx. 2 Tbsp) to make a smooth, creamy icing.

More recipes from Los Angeles

• Farmer's plate with chickpea puree and muhammara
• Brioche with prosciutto, gruyere and a sunny-side-up egg