Now, this one takes me back. Disney has created some cracking films over the past century, but Treasure Planet is right up there with some of the best in my opinion. My marmalade biscuits are sweet, buttery and very cute – the perfect treat for some old school Disney viewing. Are the crew ready? Let’s sail the galaxy.
Contents
The Bake
It’s been months since my last Disney recipe! My Stitch cake recipe was posted last November, so it’s about time I created another one.
I went right back to my childhood with this one. As alluded to in my Hercules Bakewell slice recipe, I have standout Disney films that I grew up with and associate with my childhood. The days of VHS, friends. It was a time.
I burnt through quite a few ideas for this particular recipe. There was a lot going on in my creative mind, mostly because Treasure Planet has so much going for it visually.
But, I wanted to create a bake that is easy and fun for all of the family. Treasure Planet may be over twenty years old… but that doesn’t mean multiple generations can’t enjoy this heartwarming film.
One of the core characters in this adaptation is Morph. The adorable pink, shape-shifting alien that helps to connect Jim and Silver. Morph is a source of humour as well. He’s part of the comedic relief throughout, which I love.
Thus, Morph became the inspiration for my marmalade biscuits.
Now, I know what you may be thinking… marmalade? Where’s the connection to the film with marmalade of all things?
Morph had a tendency to steal the spherical map and hide it within himself. Because of this, I wanted to create sandwich biscuits that I could fill with something delicious and something a little golden. Marmalade gives me that option. Orange marmalade specifically.
Plus, it is seriously delicious with the buttery biscuits and the golden vanilla buttercream. But, if you aren’t overly keen on marmalade or you don’t have access to it; something like orange and passionfruit curd or lemon curd would work just as well. Both in colour and flavour!
As Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish writer, I considered creating a shortbread based recipe in honour of the film’s roots.
Regulars here will know from recipes like my Outlander coffee cake recipe that I am a lover of all things shortbread.
But, I wanted to be able to pipe the dough to create Morph’s unusual and constantly shifting shape in biscuit form. This meant that I needed a biscuit base with slightly different part ratios in terms of ingredients. It also meant that I could make these biscuits without being super concerned about uniformity.
Enter the Viennese biscuit.
This particular type of biscuit uses mostly butter which is deliberately soft during preparation, so that the dough can be piped into that iconic swirl shape. Using this kind of biscuit dough gave me the scope I needed to shape my Morph biscuits.
The base for these sandwich biscuits uses a great recipe for Viennese whirls by Mary Berry. Traditionally, Viennese whirls are complete with jam for that sharp kick. The marmalade replaces that jam to represent the gold map inside Morph. The gold buttercream is delicious with the marmalade, too.
Top Tips
- Make sure that the butter is very soft to touch, but not melted, before using. This way you’ll be able to pipe the dough in Morph’s various shapes. If it’s too firm, you can pop the butter in the microwave for no more than 20 seconds to soften it.
- Don’t aim for perfection when piping these marmalade biscuits: Morph shifts and changes shape constantly so your biscuits can be varying shapes!
- Pipe the biscuit dough in odd swirls so that you can incorporate Morph’s shifting shape.
- Go a little lighter on the pink food colouring because the colour will darken slightly during the baking process.
- Make sure not to overdo it on the marmalade. It can be a tart flavour but it will also splurge out when you’re sandwiching the biscuits if you spoon too much in.
- Be gentle when handling the biscuits as they are very delicate due to the buttery texture!
These marmalade biscuits are delectable, there is no doubt. They are so buttery and sweet and delicate. The perfect treat for a Treasure Planet movie night or themed party. Make sure that the butter is very soft – but not melted – and you’ll be well on your way for an intergalactic baking adventure. Enjoy!
Happy baking, happy eating!
The Recipe
Ingredients
Marmalade biscuits dough:
- 250g [8.75 oz] unsalted butter very soft but not melted
- 50g [¼ cup + 1 tbsp] icing [confectioners] sugar
- 225g [1¼ cups + 2 tbsp] plain [all-purpose] flour
- 25g [3 tbsp + 1 tsp] cornflour
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Rose pink food colouring
Filling:
- 100g [3.5 oz] unsalted butter softened
- 200g [1¼ cups + 2 tbsp] icing [confectioners] sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Yellow or gold food colouring
- Orange marmalade or preferred option i.e. orange and passionfruit curd or lemon curd
Decoration:
- Black liquid food colouring or food paint oil based
- White liquid food colouring or food paint oil based
- Pink liquid food colouring or food paint oil based
Serves: 12
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 12 – 15 minutes
Decorating time: 20 minutes
Method
Marmalade biscuits:
- Preheat your oven to 190°C [370°F] or 170°C fan.
- Using a 4 cm cutter and a pencil, trace 8 circles on a sheet of baking paper/greaseproof paper. Leave a decent amount of space between each circle. Repeat this with 2 more sheets of baking paper/greaseproof paper. Flip the sheets so that the pencil faces down and line 3 baking trays with them. Set aside.
- Soften the butter now if needed – no more than 20 seconds in the microwave.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
- Sieve in the flour and cornflour and beat in until a soft dough has formed.
- Add in the pink food colouring and beat in until an even colour is achieved. You can add more when necessary.
- Fill a sandwich bag or piping bag with the end snipped off with the pink biscuit dough. The hole needs to be around the width of a Sharpie marker pen.
- Pipe the dough in rough swirled circles on the baking sheets, using the pencil markings underneath as a guide.
- Pipe a couple of blobs for the head and for Morph’s extra floating parts around the edges of the biscuits.
- Bake the biscuits on the middle shelves of your oven for 12 – 15 minutes until the pink is a little darker and the surface of the biscuits are dry to touch.
- Leave the biscuits to cool on the trays for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Filling:
- While your biscuits are cooling (this won’t take long), make the buttercream.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the yellow or gold food colouring to colour it slightly.
- When your biscuits are completely cool, spread a thin layer of marmalade (or preferred option) over 12 of the biscuits. Choose your favourite biscuits for the tops and the rest for the bases! Spread the marmalade on the base biscuits.
- Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag or sandwich bag with a closed star piping tip attached.
- Pipe swirls of buttercream on top of the marmalade on your base biscuits. Pipe little stars in the blob parts of the biscuits.
Decoration:
- Place your favourite biscuits on the top of the decorated biscuits to create sandwiched marmalade biscuits.
- Using a couple of thin paint brushes and the black, white and pink liquid food colourings/paints, paint on Morph’s eyes and mouth in various expressions if desired. Otherwise, just stick to his adorable little smile.
- Make sure to paint the shine in his pupils!
These melt-in-your-mouth buttery and sweet marmalade biscuits are just the ticket for a Treasure Planet viewing session. They are best eaten on the day but will last around 3+ more days. As with most biscuits, they may soften further over time but will still remain delicious. Enjoy!
The Film
Treasure Planet is one of those key films from my childhood.
I still watch it every now and again. There is a magic to it that draws me back in on the regular. A magic that Disney has honed in well in their films. Including their underrated additions like this gem.
Treasure Planet is based on a classic, but with quite a significant twist.
The film is based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s literary classic from 1883: Treasure Island. In this adventure novel, the story follows buccaneers on the hunt for buried treasure. Whilst Treasure Planet follows this same plot, the film is set in space, rather than on the Earth’s seas.
An intergalactic swashbuckling tale that sees troubled young man, Jim Hawkins, who finds a map to the legendary Treasure Planet. A planet filled with the treasure of a legendary pirate. One that Jim grew up reading about.
The finding of this map sets in motion an adventure of self-discovery, piracy, deceit and redemption. Jim sets sail alongside classic characters straight from the book, like John Silver.
In 2002, Treasure Planet was released by a well-known team of Disney creators.
Ron Clements, John Musker, Rob Edwards, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio gave the world a loveable adaptation of a timeless classic.
A timeless classic that was further brought to life by a cast of top-level talent including the likes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Laurie Metcalf, Brian Murray, Emma Thompson, Martin Short, David Hyde Pierce, Dane A. Davis and more.
A triumphant effort when you understand that this film took a decade to make, which was Disney’s longest production process following the company’s post-Renaissance era. But, when there is a will, there is a way.
Treasure Planet means cosy-wrapped-in-a-blanket-eating-sweet-treats for me. It’s a comfort film because it has trials and tribulations AND resolutions. Hope. Resilience. Adventure.
Plus, it’s about pirates in space. What more could one want?
In all honesty, I just want to be a pirate when I grow up.
Recipe Card
Marmalade Biscuits | Disney’s Treasure Planet
Ingredients
Marmalade biscuits dough:
- 250 g [8.75 oz] unsalted butter very soft but not melted
- 50 g [¼ cup + 1 tbsp] icing [confectioners] sugar
- 225 g [1¼ cups + 2 tbsp] plain [all-purpose] flour
- 25 g [3 tbsp + 1 tsp] cornflour
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Rose pink food colouring
Filling:
- 100 g [3.5 oz] unsalted butter softened
- 200 g [1¼ cups + 2 tbsp] icing [confectioners] sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Yellow or gold food colouring
- Orange marmalade or preferred option i.e. orange and passionfruit curd or lemon curd
Decoration:
- Black liquid food colouring or food paint oil based
- White liquid food colouring or food paint oil based
- Pink liquid food colouring or food paint oil based
Instructions
Marmalade biscuits:
- Preheat your oven to 190°C [370°F] or 170°C fan.
- Using a 4 cm cutter and a pencil, trace 8 circles on a sheet of baking paper/greaseproof paper. Leave a decent amount of space between each circle. Repeat this with 2 more sheets of baking paper/greaseproof paper. Flip the sheets so that the pencil faces down and line 3 baking trays with them. Set aside.
- Soften the butter now if needed – no more than 20 seconds in the microwave.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
- Sieve in the flour and cornflour and beat in until a soft dough has formed.
- Add in the pink food colouring and beat in until an even colour is achieved. You can add more when necessary.
- Fill a sandwich bag or piping bag with the end snipped off with the pink biscuit dough. The hole needs to be around the width of a Sharpie marker pen.
- Pipe the dough in rough swirled circles on the baking sheets, using the pencil markings underneath as a guide.
- Pipe a couple of blobs for the head and for Morph’s extra floating parts around the edges of the biscuits.
- Bake the biscuits on the middle shelves of your oven for 12 – 15 minutes until the pink is a little darker and the surface of the biscuits are dry to touch.
- Leave the biscuits to cool on the trays for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Filling:
- While your biscuits are cooling (this won’t take long), make the buttercream.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the yellow or gold food colouring to colour it slightly.
- When your biscuits are completely cool, spread a thin layer of marmalade (or preferred option) over 12 of the biscuits. Choose your favourite biscuits for the tops and the rest for the bases! Spread the marmalade on the base biscuits.
- Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag or sandwich bag with a closed star piping tip attached.
- Pipe swirls of buttercream on top of the marmalade on your base biscuits. Pipe little stars in the blob parts of the biscuits.
Decoration:
- Place your favourite biscuits on the top of the decorated biscuits to create sandwiched marmalade biscuits.
- Using a couple of thin paint brushes and the black, white and pink liquid food colourings/paints, paint on Morph’s eyes and mouth in various expressions if desired. Otherwise, just stick to his adorable little smile.
- Make sure to paint the shine in his pupils!
Notes
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