SALTED BUTTER SHORTBREAD & CLOTTED CREAM

Shortbread is unlikely to be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a Christmas dessert. But hear me out. Once you’ve had that late afternoon nap and need something a little sweet to graze on with a cup of tea on the sofa, this would be my go to. It couldn’t be any simpler to make; just 3 ingredients and you’ve got crumbly slices of buttery shortbread to work your way through over week. Given that there’s not much going on, this is when I like to splash out a bit and use really good, fancy butter. It makes such a difference and tastes significantly better than any supermarket versions. You could add in some extras like orange zest, spices or dip them in chocolate but I really do think these are perfect with as little distraction as possible.

RECIPE

makes 8 wedges

200g plain flour

75g caster sugar

130g salted butter, cold and diced

clotted cream and/or orange curd, to serve (optional)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan. Line an 8 inch loose bottomed cake tin with some baking paper.

Add the flour to a bowl and mix in the sugar.

Toss in the cold cubed butter and use your fingertips to rub it into the flour until you have a fine breadcrumb like mixture. (Alternatively, you could pulse everything in a food processor)

Tip the mixture into the tin and press it down really firmly so it’s nice and compact. Use the back of a spoon to help you smooth it out evenly.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and dust generously with some caster sugar. Let it cool for about 15 minutes before slicing the shortbread into wedges whilst it’s still warm. Let it cool completely before serving with some clotted cream and orange curd.