Here’s a recipe for shortbread that I got from a friend in South Africa many moons ago. Her dad is Scottish so this was their go-to recipe for shortbread. Thank you Jeannie for passing this on, I’ve loved every bite over the years!
I made a batch over the weekend and have inhaled every last biscuit on that plate. No, I didn’t share. Don’t be ridiculous.
Scottish Shortbread
Ingredients:
120g (4 oz) plain flour
60g (2 oz) cornflour/cornstarch
60g (2 oz) caster sugar/baker’s sugar
120g (4 oz) salted butter (don’t use margarine, for the love of God I beg you!)
Sieve the flour, cornflour & caster sugar together.
Add the butter and mix in with your fingers to make a dough. The longer the better.
When you’ve got a smooth dough, sprinkle some cornflour onto a work surface and roll out to roughly ¼ inch (6-7mm) thick.
Shape as you please, and lay onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Don’t position them too close together as they do rise a bit.
Bake @ 350F/180C for 15 mins.
***Please note, there is a VERY fine line between done and overdone when making shortbread***
It will turn a slightly deeper yellow and slightly risen when it’s done. Brown = overdone.
Start monitoring from about 10 mins onwards. Bear in mind, if you roll the dough too thinly, the cooking time will need to be reduced or the shortbread will burn. Don’t make the mistake I did of putting thinly rolled and thickly rolled biscuits on the same baking tray. That’s asking for trouble.
Allow to cool slightly before removing from the baking tray or they will break.
**As a random side note: one thing I’ve come across over the years are people who flat out refuse to share a recipe. Yes, this is a personal choice but seriously, the greatest compliment you can get is someone asking for your recipe.
Anyone who wants a recipe of mine is welcome to it. It’s makes me smile knowing I’m ‘at’ their dinner table every time they make it. Life is meant to be delicious and if someone thinks your food is worthy of repeating, then that’s saying something. Be nice.
