Spritz Caterpillars with Egg Whites

Beat the butter (or margarine) until white and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and egg whites and beat another 2-3 minutes on the highest speed. Mix together the flour and the starch. Add 3-4 tablespoons of the flour, beat very briefly on the lowest speed, just until absorbed, then add another 3-4 tablespoons and again beat briefly; continue this way until all the flour is used. Transfer the dough into a piping bag (in portions) and pipe biscuits onto baking paper. Heat the oven to 150 C with fan (170 C conventional). Bake the biscuits, depending on their size, between 6 and 10 minutes; they must not brown. Let them cool completely. Sandwich the biscuits in pairs with the liquid chocolate or with jam warmed over a water bath. It is most convenient to put the chocolate in a bag, cut off the tip and apply it onto the biscuits this way. When the chocolate has cooled, melt the couverture and dip the sandwiched biscuits into it. Spices may be added to the biscuits if desired - cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamom, etc. Ground nuts may also be added; for 1 cup of ground nuts increase the butter by about 50 g. Choose a piping tip with a slightly wider nozzle. My biscuits were relatively small and my batch was enough for 7 trays of 36 pieces each. It sounds like a lot, but it actually filled one large bowl.