Shortbread, or shortie, is one of those classic biscuits that ticks all of the boxes.
Born in Scotland, it’s the perfect sweet treat to tuck into on Burns Night.
It’s also one of the biscuits I was taught to make at school, probably because they’re so easy to whip up.
According to Historic UK, shortbread dates back to medieval times, where it was made from leftover bread dough, dried out and then hardened into a rusk.
Over time the bread dough was replaced by butter, and ultimately the ‘biscuit bread’ became the shortbread we know today.
To celebrate Burns Night with a sweet treat, the Scots on our team immediately turned to shortbread as a must.
Shortbread is one of the easiest biscuits to make, having made it several times over the years. It doesn’t need to be complicated.
BBC Good Food has a plethora of recipes, including a number of easy shortbread recipes.
What’s even better is that the recipe uses just four ingredients.
Preparation time takes all of ten minutes to make, so within half an hour you’ll have slices of buttery, rich shortbread that will be perfect with a cup of tea.
Shortbread recipe
Ingredients
- 300g butter, softened
- 140g golden caster sugar, plus 4 tbsp
- 300g plain flour
- 140g rice flour
Method
Place the butter and 140g sugar in a food processor and whizz until smooth.
Tip in both the flours and a pinch of salt, then whizz until mixture comes together.
Using your hands, roughly spread the mixture out in a 20 x 30 x 4cm baking tray. C
over with cling film and smooth over until there are no wrinkles.
Place in the fridge, uncooked, for at least 30 minutes and up to two days.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Remove cling film, then lightly mark the shortbread all over with a fork.
Sprinkle with the remaining sugar, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin, then cut into 24 thin slices. Shortbread will keep in an airtight container for up to one week.