Shortbread

Shortbread Is probably one of the most underrated bakes ever! Yes, it's easy, but boy is it good!! I don't know about you but this is my go to christmas snack! But. that isn't to say you can't enjoy shortbread in many ways throughout the year.

This recipe is very simple and easy to make, but also so versatile! There are so many things you can do with shortbread and this base recipe is just the start! Add chocolate chips and do them in any shape you want. Dip them in melted chocolate to make dipped shortbread! Use this as a base to some kind of tray bake with only some minor dake time adjustments. The sky is the limit, but let's start with the basics.

Butter

One of the most important things in this recipe is the butter. One thing about shortbread is they are buttery biscuits. So in order to get this right, real block butter must be used. Don't be tempted to use baking butter or margarine. The taste and texture just won't come out the same way!

This recipe calls for us rubbing the butter into the flour and sugar with our fingertips, so room temperature butter is essential or it's going to be real hard to make a breadcrumb consistency. That being said, you also don't want your butter to be too warm and melty or sloppy, because then you'll end up with more of a paste than breadcrumbs.

I would recommend getting your butter out the fridge around 30 minutes before you bake.

Sugar

I use caster sugar in this recipe as I want it well incorporated into the dough. You can use granulated sugar, but I find this gives the shortbread too much crunch once baked, and if you know shortbread, you know it's not particularly meant to be crunchy. It's more of a crumbly texture.

Check out some of my other popular cookie recipes! Click on the picture below!

Milk

A small amount of milk is used in this recipe. Once you've rubbed all your ingredients in, sometimes it's just slightly too crumbly to form a dough. In this instance, it's good to have a little bit of milk on hand to help pull the mixture together into a dough so you can roll it out.

Bare in mind when adding the milk, that you can always add more, but you can't take away. So a little at a time is the best way to go.

Whole milk is the only milk I would recommend. As much as this recipe only calls for a little bit, whole milk has the most fat which also means the most flavour. It will pull the dough together better because of the fat and will add a nice taste to it, stopping it from becoming too dry.

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Equipment

Here is a list of recommended equipment I use and where to buy them!

• Rolling Pin - https://amzn.to/43EsSUy

• Kitchen Scales - https://amzn.to/40iSN3D

• Dough Scraper - https://amzn.to/4kDb1UMUJ

Ingredients

210g butter

100g caster sugar

350g plain flour

2-3 tbsp whole milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C, and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. In a bowl, add your flour and sugar and combine.

3. Chop your room temperature butter into cubes and add to your flour mixture.

4. Using your fingers, gently rub the butter into the flour and sugar mixture until it forms a breadcrumb-like consistency.

5. Squash the mixture in your hands to bring it together into a dough. If it's still a little too crumbly to come together, add one tbsp of whole milk at a time to help it come together. This should not be sticky.

6. Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto a clean surface and tip the dough onto it. Gently mould it into a circle shape. Do not knead it.

7. Flour your rolling pin slightly then roll the dough into a rectangle about 3cm thick.

8. Using a dough scraper, cut the rough edges off then cut the dough into finger slices. Move these to your prepared baking tray then continue in the same way to rolll out and cut the rest of your dough. *Alternatively, you can use a cookie cutter of any shape*

9. Use a fork to gently press some indentations down the top of each shortbread finger.

10. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are starting to look golden.

11. Sprinkle with some caster sugar as soon as they come out the oven and leave to cool completely before serving.

Additional Tips:

• Use real butter for the best, buttery and crumbly texture and flavour

• These can keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

• Don't knead the dough as this will develop the gluten causing the shortbread to be tough and chewy.