For our ‘Sweet Treat’ feature, we bring you a taste bud-tingling, saliva-inducing recipe every week.
Whether you simply want to put your baking skills to the test or fancy treating your colleagues to something tasty (hint hint Her.ie girls!), this is where to come.
This week, it’s Shortbread courtesy of the ILoveCooking website…
(Serves 8)
Ingredients:
- 115g butter diced (plus a little extra for greasing)
- 115g plain flour
- 55g caster sugar (plus 2 tbsp extra for decoration)
- Pinch of salt
Method:
1. Grease a 20cm flat rectangle cake tin (you can use a flan tin if you do not have a rectangle tin) and preheat the oven to 150°C/ 300°F/ gas mark 2.
2. Sift the flour, salt and caster sugar (55g) together into a mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the mixture using your finger tips, until it turns into a breadcrumb consistency. Then work the mixture to become a soft dough. Lightly press the dough into the greased tin.
3. Mark the dough into eight rectangle portions, ‘fingers’. Prick all over with a skewer and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until firm and golden.
4. Leave to cool and scatter with caster sugar. Cut into the marked portions. If not eaten that day, store in an air-tight container.
(Once you have mastered the basic recipe, you can experiment with flavourings like lemon zest, chocolate chips or crystallised ginger.)
