Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 360F/180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Lightly grease the baking tray or line it with baking parchment.
- Measure the flour and the butter into a mixing bowl and rub in the butter or margarine using your fingertips.
- Add the sugar and stir this through the butter, flour mixture. If you're using vanilla extract, add it now.
- Using your hands bring this mixture together to form a dough. It will take a minute or two so be patient.
- Roll the dough out and cut into rounds using a fluted edged cutter. Cut into fingers if you'd prefer.
- Place on a baking tray and decorate by pricking the cookies with a fork if wished. They don't need a lot of space as they don't spread much.
- Pop these into the oven and set your oven time for 10 minutes. If they are looking golden brown at the ten minute point they are done. If they're still very pale, bake for a minute or two more. You're looking for them to be golden brown.
- As an optional decoration sprinkle with a little caster sugar when they come out of the oven. Place on a cooling rack and allow them to cool a little before tucking in.
Nutrition
Notes
Nutritional Information: This is computer generated and is intended as a guideline only.
To make this recipe vegan or/and dairy-free replace the butter with a suitable margarine that can also be used for baking.
Variations on the main recipe
- Omit the vanilla and make the cookies without that additional flavour.
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies – Omit the vanilla extract and add the grated zest of a lemon and an optional 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract. Add this to the dough once you have beaten the butter and sugar together.
- Walnut Shortbread Cookies – Omit the vanilla extract and add 1/4 cup/50g of chopped walnuts. Really delicious.
- Cut the dough into fingers, decorate with a pretty fork pattern.
- Sprinkle a little caster sugar over the biscuits once they come out of the oven.
