When it comes to food as with everything in life, I am a big believer in simplicity.
Sometimes it can work to have 20 ingredients in one meal but it can be hit or miss.
With just three, you really can’t go wrong!
One of my favourite biscuits of all time has got to be shortbread, the salty and the sweet together make a perfect combination.
Whether you’re craving something savoury or desert like it hits the spot and it’s great for dipping in your tea!
There are two standard shapes for shortbread, shortbread fingers and shortbread rounds, both are so much quicker and easier to make than individually rolled out and cut biscuits.
In fact, you can have beautiful shortbread at hand within 30 minutes and that’s if you can patiently wait for it to cool!
Simple Shortbread
Ingredients
150g plain flour
100g salted butter, softened
50g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
Method
Preheat the oven to 160oc.
Cream the butter and sugar together until paler in colour, light and fluffy.
Gradually mix in the flour, a third at a time until the mixture comes together into a dough.
For perfect circle shortbread, take the bottom from a 8/9 inch spring form pan, grease it and roll out the dough until half a centimetre thick and the pan fully covered.
Transfer to a baking tray.
For square shortbread and shortbread fingers, roll out the dough to half a centimetre thickness on greaseproof paper, shaping into a square.
Transfer to a baking tray.
Prick the shortbread all over with a fork, optionally scoring where the pieces of shortbread will begin and end with a knife and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until light brown on top.
Sprinkle over extra caster sugar while still hot, making sure it makes it’s way into all the holes you created earlier.
Leave to cool unmoved for at least 10 minutes, otherwise the shortbread will crumble easily, then cut each piece along the score line or how ever you wish by eye.
This piece is about to be shortbread fingers!
