Butter Shortbread

By our cookery writer Ann Way

I have always enjoyed the special taste of a really good Scottish shortbread and we were very pleased to be given a large tin of them from a friend at Christmas.  Now March is here, all those lovely biscuits are just a memory, as is my New Year’s resolution to reduce some weight!  Then last week I was looking through a thick old notebook my husband Leslie gave me when we first got married 45 years ago for keeping all my hand written recipes in. Suddenly I spotted an old Stork recipe that I had adapted by using proper butter and a little rice flour as well as plain flour. Deciding this might be a possible recipe for the readers of The Door cookery column, I tried it out.  The results were as good as I remembered and the family loved them.  I know it is easy to buy them in the supermarket, but it is so much more satisfying to make them yourself, so do have a go.  It really is worth it!

Ingredients
5 oz/ 150g butter
6 oz/ 175g plain flour sieved
1½  oz/ 40g rice flour
2 oz/ 50g caster sugar (flavoured with 2 drops vanilla essence)
1oz/ 25g caster sugar (for dusting)
Optional extra: an orange peel, finely grated
(Makes about 16 biscuits)

Method
Rub all the fat into the dry ingredients until it becomes like breadcrumbs.  Knead them until you have a smooth dough.  Roll this out on a slightly floured board until the dough is about ¼ inch (¾ cm) thick.  Cut out circles of about 2 ½ inches (6 cm) across with a fluted cutter or use a plain one and mark the edges with a fork.  Prick an even design with the prongs of a fork and place on a lightly greased baking tray. Heat your oven up to 300ºF/ 150ºC/ gas mark 2.  Cook your biscuits for about 15 minutes or until they are golden brown (not too dark).
Cool them on a tray for a minute or two and then transfer to a wire rack to get cold.  Sprinkle with a little sugar and store in an air-tight tin.