To make things easier, I made the hedgehogs over two nights. On the first night, I made the biscuit dough and buttercream. I also baked the biscuits that night (they took 10 minutes) so all I had left to do was the assembling, glazing, and decorating. The buttercream was fine in the fridge, covered, for two days. I slightly warmed it back to room temperature before piping onto the biscuits.

The recipe insists that the chocolates should be kept at room temperature, but I much prefer the texture of the buttercream filling when cold. At room temperature, it’s extremely soft and gives a less pleasant mouthfeel. The buttercream’s flavour is lovely, with the right amount of rum to be apparent but not overpower the chocolate. I think it’s worth losing the shine of the glaze to gain a firmer filling to the chocolates. The biscuit base is also very light and crisp, a nice contrast to the smooth buttercream. They can also be made into other animals with a little imagination. I made some little pigs, with chocolate-chip noses and ears made of heart-shaped sprinkles. All in all, these are a lovely addition to a party table. They’re worth the extra effort.