Seductive Scottish Shortbread
I have loved Scottish Shortbread all of my life. My mother and maternal grandparents are Scottish, so I guess that accounts for it. While living in New Zealand, I regularly made Scottish Shortbread with the New Zealand and Australian recipes I found. However, upon arriving in the UK, I tasted ‘real’ Scottish Shortbread, and it tasted different to my trusty old recipes. So… I began the quest to create a more authentic recipe. I think I have nailed it. These shortbread were made for Robbie Burns night last week, and they went down a treat in my household. I hope you make them and enjoy them. They are very seductive… you will be returning for more very quickly.
Ingredients
- 250g softened butter (salted)
- 100g caster sugar
- 250g standard while flour
- 75g rice flour
- 50g cornflour
Method
In a mixer (or by hand, but it will take a while) cream the butter and sugar and until pale. Meanwhile accurately measure the flours and sift together 3 times. When the butter/sugar mixture is ready, add the flour mixture. By hand or mixing spoon, combine the all the ingredients until just combined. DO NOT over mix as you want the mixture to be a little crumbly.
When mixed, you have various choices as to what to do next, depending on how you like the final shortbread to look.
1. You could chill the mixture until ready to be lightly rolled out and then cut into the shortbread shapes you like, place on a baking paper lined tray then bake.
2. You could place the mixture onto a sponge roll tin that has been lined with baking paper, press the mixture over the tray, chill and then bake.
3. You could chill the mixture until ready to be lightly rolled out and then roll into a round circle and mark out the petticoat triangle shapes and edges.
4. Do as I do… go rustic. Place the mixture onto a big piece of Glad WrapXXX, lightly kneed it into a long sausage shape by hand and by using the Glad Wrap to wrap around the ‘sausage’. Chill until cold – about 30 mins.
Which ever method you chose, when ready, bake in a moderate over 180 degrees celscious XX gasmark, for 20-30 mins, until a light golden colour. When ready, remove from the oven. Cool on the baking paper for a few mins, then transfer to a baking XX until cold.
Now make yourself a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, hot toddy or whisky and devour!
