Niki's Notes
You can't get much easier than making shortbread - and they're a great introduction to baking.
A wonderful friend in South Africa makes batches of these shortbread and leaves them in containers on the kitchen counter for whenever anyone in the house wants a sweet treat. They don't last long.
The secrets to keep the biscuits light and flaky are to use good quality butter; try not to handle the dough too much as the heat from your hands will melt the butter; and don't skip chilling the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes before baking.
For variations, add either 1 teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract when creaming the butter, or gently add 50-60g of mini chocolate chips after the flour has been incorporated.
If you want to use an air fryer to bake them, lower the baking temperature to around 165°C (330°F), line the basket with perforated parchment paper and allow the biscuits to firm up as they cool.
Method
Make the shortbread
-
Preheat the oven
Heat the oven to 190°C, 170°C fan or gas 5.
190°C (374°F) -
Cream the butter and sugar
Beat the softened butter and caster sugar together until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
-
Make the dough
Mix in the plain flour until the ingredients come together as a smooth paste.
-
Shape the biscuits
Turn the dough onto a work surface and gently roll or press it to about 1cm thick. Cut it into fingers or rounds and arrange them on a baking tray.
-
Chill the shortbread
Sprinkle the biscuits with a little extra caster sugar, then refrigerate them until firm.
-
Bake
Bake until the shortbread is pale golden. Leave it on the tray briefly before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
190°C (374°F)
Nutrition
Estimated values per serving.
- Calories
- 105 kcal
- Protein
- 1.1g
- Carbs
- 11.3g
- Fat
- 6.3g
- Fibre
- 0.4g
- Salt
- 0.1g