How to make the perfect Shortbread this St Andrews Day

In the winter period when our days are cold and rainy we like to do cosy things and having a nice cup of tea with delicious home made cookies, bread or cake is one of them. For St Andrews day we asked our British colleagues to give us tips on some Scottish food which we can enjoy in this period.

Our Head of Programmes Richard Mallion and his wife Jackie not only gave us proposals, but Jackie gave us the recipe for a perfect Shortbread, she cooked it and we all at the Embassy enjoyed how delicious it was.

We share the recipe and a mini cooking class with Jackie. Read below, it is quick and easy:

Ingredients

200 g plain flour (Jackie used T-400 flour)

50g caster sugar (Jackie used the granulated sugar that you buy locally) – plus some extra for sprinkling over

125 g unsalted butter

Method

Preheat oven to 170/325/gas 3.

Cube the butter and rub into the flour using your fingertips.  You will end up with something that looks like breadcrumbs.

Stir in the sugar and then pull the mixture together (don’t knead) until you have a dough.

Line your baking sheet or grease your dish and then push or roll the dough out to your required shape.

Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.  Keep an eye on it – you want a light golden colour.

Remove from oven and leaving the shortbread on the tray/dish cut into your desired shape whilst still warm.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Leave to cool completely.

Enjoy with a nice cup of tea!

You can also watch the mini-cooking class here: