Scottish Shortbread

Although this recipe is included with the Cranachan, it really deserves a little place all of its own.  Here's the basic recipe, only the basic you can add rice flour etc, but this was the simple quick & easy recipe for the yummy yummy - inadvertently discovered - shortbread.

  Ingredients 
6oz Plain Flour
Pinch of Salt
2oz Caster Sugar
4oz Butter
Granulated Sugar

  Method  

• Sieve the plain flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. 
• Add the caster sugar,  and you could if preferred, with one cold, clean hand just give a quick lift, so the flour & sugar fall together. (I just bunged everything in together & then mixed)
• Cut up the 4oz of butter into smaller bite size slices.
• Mix altogether until a sticky dough is made. I added a wee bit of ilk to my mixture as it wasn't sticky enough first time, Second time I used room temperature butter & it was perfect.
• Sprinkle some flour onto working surface, add ball of dough. Round it up gently then press with palm of hand into a flat circle. Keeping the dough about 1" thick  (or as thick as you prefer).  Touch the dough as quickly & as little as possible.

Flour, Salt, Sugar & Butter.

Shortbread Dough

• Once you've pressed the dough into the flat circle, petticoat frill the edges. I used the tip of the handle of a knife. Only because my hands were warm & the knife was cool. I'm sure a thumb print would look equally nice if not nicer.
• Using the flat side of the blade, score portions sections onto the dough. First half, then quarter then into equal 8 pieces.

Using the tip of the handle, or a thumb :) add pattern to the edges

• Once you've scored all the equal portion sizes onto the dough. Using a prong style fork, gently add some design with the fork on every triangular portion. 

Gently with the fork indent the dough surface.

• Once all of the dough has the polka dot effect. Sprinkle a light dusting of caster sugar over the dough.
• Line & grease a baking tray. Place dough  onto baking tray & place on bottom shelf of pre heated oven for about 45 minutes. You can leave for longer but do keep the oven low so as not to colour the shortbread. Oven temp I used was about 130oC.
• When firm to the touch, remover shortbread from oven. Immediately sprinkle with granulated sugar onto the hot biscuit. Allow to cool .
• Once cool gently break the biscuits into the triangular wedge portions.
• Make a cuppa & enjoy :)

It smells sooo good & looks sooo good.

Tastes deeeeeeelicious!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

• You can also coat in melted chocolate :)

Too delicious!!

• This may make all of the difference. I used my favourite butter which gave the shortbread a rich, luxurious flavour. Try using your favourite butter its really worth the indulgence. Result: A simple, easy, plain yet exquisite shortbread/cake/biscuit :)  Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we - most surprisingly - did, considering we don't usually like shortbread .

Here's some shortbread fingers I've made