I’m afraid homemade shortbread is one of my weaknesses. This basic recipe has never failed me and has been handed down throughout the family. If you ever look at a shortbread recipe with more than 3 ingredients, chuck it and use this! Although a complete triumph on its own, I like to add a few cheeky additions now and again and here I had some fragrant lavender to hand. However, its open to experimentation with any flavours that get the heart racing, from lemon and poppy seed to ground hazelnuts or allspice. Lavenders one of those marmite flavours I think. Too much and it tastes like a bowl of your Grandma’s potpourri but added with a delicate hand it adds a quirky kick. I added an intuitive sprinkle to the basic recipe which is as follows. They’ll melt in your mouth like a snowman on an agar….believe me.
- 125g unsalted butter
- 175g plain flour
- 50g caster sugar
- A sprinkle of lavender, lemon zest, ground nuts etc or any added extra flavour of your choice (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- In a food processor, mix all ingredients together until it forms a breadcrumb-like texture then continue until it comes together into a loose dough.
- Before it forms a ball of dough, stop the machine and turn the mixture out onto a floured surface.
- Form together into a ball using your hands. You can chill it now, wrapped in cling film, to let it rest but I’ve always found that the world will not end if you use it straight away, just make sure the room or your hands are not too hot as this will make it really soft when handling.
- You can either roll it out onto a floured work surface and cut out into biscuit shapes or place as a thin whole sheet into a lined baking tin.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes for biscuits and 15-20 minutes for a thicker sheet in a baking tray but check regularly. They will be ready when golden but try and get them out just before they turn too brown to ensure that melt-in-the-mouth texture and that they are not too crunchy.