These buttery biscuits are from the book ‘Mary Berry – Fast Cakes’ by Dame Mary Berry, and already you know that something great is on it’s way. This amazing baker and human being always has the simplest and best recipes – which may be another way of saying that simpler is always best.
This is a small batch and can be made very quickly. They keep very well for 3-5 days in an airtight container. Dame Mary offers a simple lemon version and an apricot one in which she adds a small amount of dried apricots.
I have tried both versions and the lemon version is my favourite. The lemon flavour is very subtle and you may easily miss it. The apricot version is just as delicious with the chewy fruit thrown in. I might be tempted to try one with dried cranberries next.
There are only a few ingredients involved and the process is first creaming the butter and sugar and then gently mixing the flours in to form a soft ball of buttery dough. All that is left is to press the soft ball Into a small baking pan and 40-50 minutes later, sweet, buttery heaven awaits!
Ingredients for Shortbread
Lemon Shortbread
- 100 g room-temperature butter
- 50 g caster sugar
- 100 g cake flour
- 50 g cornflour
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1 TBS of caster sugar to sprinkle over baked shortbread
Apricot Shortbread
- 25 g finely chopped dried apricots, added to the above ingredients, minus the lemon zest
MAKING THE SHORTBREAD
- Line a 17.5 cm square pan with baking paper, with longer sides, to lift shortbread once done.
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius.
- Add lemon zest to the caster sugar and rub zest into sugar till the sugar is slightly damp. This intensifies the citrus flavour.
- Cream butter, caster sugar and lemon zest with an electric beater till pale and creamy.
- Measure out flours and add to creamed mixture.
- Using your hands, lightly bring the mixture together and gently knead to form a soft ball.
- Add mixture to baking pan and gently smooth into an even layer in pan, using hands or the back of a spoon.
- For the apricot version add the chopped apricots with the flours, minus the zest, and bring together into a ball.
- Bake for 40 – 50 minutes till pale golden.
- Once the shortbread is out the oven, use a knife and gently cut into 8, 12 or 16 squares.
- Let shortbread cool for 5 minutes before gently lifting out the pan, using the parchment sling.
- Lightly sprinkle over the tablespoon of caster sugar.
- Let shortbread completely cool before storing in an airtight container.
