GBP
So with the Halloween and fireworks still on us, we have carried on with making some spooky treats. (Before Christmas comes!)
Shortbread can be made in any shape you like, so it's a perfect treat to make for birthdays, Halloween or a special gift to take to a friends to enjoy with a cup of tea and a chat in front of the fire!
The buttery taste is perfect on its own, but you could add some chocolate chips for a radical twist. Or if you really want to push the boat out, why not try dipping into chocolate! For our shortbread, we have just added a sprinkle of caster sugar on the top for an extra sugary twist!
Ingredients for Delicious Shortbread:
200g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes 100g sugar, plus extra for sprinkling (we used caster sugar) 1.5 tsp vanilla extract 300g plain flour, sifted for an extra touch
Step 1:
Start by, pre-heating the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
Mix together the butter and sugar, until the mixture is pale and smooth. Add the vanilla extract, then gently mix in the flour until incorporated (try not to work the flour too much or the shortbread biscuits will not be so crumbly.) Using your hands, squeeze the mixture together into a ball of dough. This is the messy part, but its so much better to get your hands stuck in and mix the dough properly. Kiddie winks love this part - but make sure they wash their hands!
Step 2:
Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 5mm (dust the work surface with a little flour if the dough sticks, this is the bit the kids love.) Cut into shapes using a biscuit cutter. We used the Yolli tombstone cookie cutters.
Transfer the biscuits to a baking tray lined with baking parchment or a non-stick baking tray and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest - chilling them allows your shortbread to hold it's shape better when baking.
Step 3:
Before cooking, sprinkle each biscuit with a pinch of granulated sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Remember to keep checking as some ovens can crisp them too much at the end of the bake!
Step 4:
Step 5:
Remove from the oven and transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool.
And now you have you're ever so delicious batch of Shortbread.