Chippy Cakes

Classic Shortbread

Thursday 27 September 2012

Shortbread is such a classic Christmas or tea time biscuit here in England. Every Christmas, we would always receive a huge tin of yummy buttery Scottish shortbread as presents from family friends. Yet, you only need the most basic ingredients in your kitchen cupboard and they are so easy to make, you can whip these out in an hour!

Ingredients:

125g butter, softened
55g golden caster sugar
180g plain flour

Method:

Cream butter and sugar together until pale and creamy.
Add the flour and and mix until it turns into a smooth paste/wet dough.
Using your hands, turn out onto a surface and roll out until it is 1cm thick. With a cookie cutter, cut into rounds or squares, depending on your preference. (I just rolled mine to a large circle and sliced them into triangles when they are cooked)
Place onto a baking tray, sprinkle with some icing sugar and chill in the fridge uncooked for at least 30 minutes.
Remove from the fridge and lightly prick all over with a fork. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at Gas Mark 5. It should be cooked once it is pale golden brown. Leave to cool before slicing it (if you didn't cut them earlier). Shortbread can keep for up to 1 week in a sealed airtight container.

Make sure not to overwork the dough and handle it as short as possible if you are using your hands. This is because the butter may melt and turn oily with the heat of your fingers if handled for too long. Also, the first time I made these, I sliced them in this triangular shape. The second time, I cut them into squares before baking. I realised it is probably much better in square form so they are not too big and are a perfect bite size.

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