Fancy going for the handmade or homemade touch this Valentine’s Day? How about some easy shortbread treats? Make it romantic with a heart cutter, letter cutters spelling out L-O-V-E or just go to the effort of making something yourself, and just think of the brownie points you will get for a maximum of an hours effort!
What you will need to make your own shortbread . . .
Ingredients
– 8oz self raising flour
– 8oz soft margarine
– 4oz icing sugar
– 4oz cornflour
– 1tsp baking powder
Equipment
– Baking tray (any flat tray really), grease-proof paper, rolling pin (or something to roll with, I have been known to use a wine bottle!) and cutters, either bought ones in shapes or if you are needing to make do you can use a glass (just put flour around the top of the glass so it doesn’t stick.
Method
1. Cream together your icing sugar and margarine
2. Add the cornflour, flour and baking powder
3. Mix together until crumbly and then forming into dough
You will need to use your hands to combine the dough together
Get your hands in and squash it into a ball of dough
4. Roll out and cut into shape on a slightly floured surface, not too much flour or it will dry out your dough, don’t forget to put a little flour on your rolling pin too (or wine bottle if you have no rolling pin)
You want to roll it to about this thickness.
Cut out your shortbread, this is so easy to do and if you have little ones at home they will love getting involved.
5. Place on a baking tray with greaseproof paper or a little flour on the tray and bake at 180oC for about 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown (depending on the size and thickness)
If you are making any small hearts make sure to keep an eye on them as they won’t take as long to cook.
TOP TIP: the shortbread can burn easily and quickly so keep an eye on it, it can take less than the 10 minutes, especially if you are onto your second batch on the tray and the oven is really hot.
6. Lift them out of the oven when they are golden brown and leave on the tray for about 5 minutes, they will start to harden a bit then carefully move them to cool on a wire rack. However if they haven’t really hardened then put them back in the oven for a couple of minutes and repeat the process I said.
7. Once cooked sprinkle with caster or icing sugar and leave to cool or once cooled fill the middle of 2 biscuits with any filling of your choice, it could be lemon curd, jam or chocolate spread and sprinkle with icing sugar.
And there you have it, quick and easy to make, they look good and taste even better!
If you do make these for Valentine’s Day or any time really I’d love to see, so take a photo and tag me on instagram @mrs_ds_lifestyle or just comment and let me know how you got on.
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