Shortbread is brilliantly adaptable- you can add so many different flavours to it and create something new. Here, I've included rose and given the biscuits a chocolate coating, a combination that works beautifully.
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Makes20
CourseSnack
Prepare25 mins
Cook30 mins
Total time55 mins
PlusChilling and cooling
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Ingredients
200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g caster sugar
1 lemon, zested
1 tsp rose water, (rose water can vary in intensity, so add just a little at a time)
1 tsp vanilla extract
300g plain flour
2 tbsp Waitrose Cooks' Ingredients dried rose petals, plus extra to decorate
200g dark chocolate
Method
Put the butter, sugar, lemon zest, rose water (to taste) and vanilla in a large bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat together for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl down and add the flour, a pinch of salt and the rose petals, mixing together briefly until it comes together as a dough. Tip the dough onto the work surface and bring together into a ball. Flatten with your hands, then roll out to a 25cm square; place on a baking tray and chill until firm – about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 170?C, gas mark 3; line 2 baking trays with parchment. Halve the dough, then cut into 2.5cm-thick fingers and pierce all over with a fork.
Put the biscuits on the prepared baking trays and bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 second bursts until about ¾ of the chocolate has melted. Mix vigorously with a spatula until fully melted (this is a quick method of tempering the chocolate). Dip the shortbread halfway into the chocolate, allow the excess to drip off, then lay on a clean sheet of parchment to set, decorating with a few extra rose petals. Once the chocolate has set, you can store the shortbread in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutritional
Typical values per item when made using specific products in recipe
Energy
847kJ/ 210kcals
Fat
12.7g
Saturated Fat
7.8g
Carbohydrates
20.8g
Sugars
8g
Fibre
1.2g
Protein
2.5g
Salt
0.2g
Book a slot to see product availability at your nearest Waitrose & Partners store
When the glaze on your shortbread is completely dry, paint the cookies whatever colors you want from your food color pallet. Use water to thin the colors. You can mix the food colors to any shade in the empty center section of the plate. Generally, pale colors look best.
The key with shortbread is not to overhandle it. Make the dough exactly as instructed, but don't mess around making shapes or over rolling the dough - you will end up with delicious but tough biscuits. Stretching and pulling the dough activates the gluten in the flour, making chewy cookies and not crisp ones.
The dough should still be cool and firm to the touch. If it's not, chill both sheet pans in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before baking. Cold is best here!
You can start with this recipe for Salted caramel shortbread bars; your baking powder will give the rich and buttery shortbread just enough lift to make it flaky and delicate. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment.
There are a variety of reasons why the shortbread could be damp underneath but it is most likely that either the dough is being pressed out too thickly, the pan is not metal so heats up too slowly, or the oven temperature is too high causing the top to brown before the bottom has cooked sufficiently.
Piercing the shortbread with a fork is not only for decoration, but it's meant for more even baking. Poking holes in the shortbread allows the heat to penetrate the cookie, hence more even baking. Notice I'm using powdered sugar here. You'll see lots of shortbread recipes using granulated sugar.
Sugar provides a fast source of energy. There are rarely any artificial additives. Cons: Shortbread is a weight watcher's nightmare because it is extremely high in saturated fat and calories. Saturated fat is the 'bad' fat which is linked to artery-clogging high cholesterol and heart disease.
It's important to avoid over-mixing shortbread dough, which will develop gluten and make the finished product tough, not tender. To make sure that the flour mixes completely with little effort, sift the flour first to get out all of the lumps.
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Introduction: My name is Roderick King, I am a cute, splendid, excited, perfect, gentle, funny, vivacious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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