Shortbread is great. It’s so simple to make, goes well with a cuppa and most importantly it lasts forever in the old biscuit tin.
This particular recipe was passed on to me from my Mum and I think I remember her saying that she got it from one of her Women’s Institute cookbooks. It is really easy to add different things to the dough, such as lemon zest or chocolate chips. However in this instance I decided to go with something a little bit unusual and make my shortbread lavender flavoured.
Now, truth be told I’m not usually a massive fan of floral flavoured things. I remember watching the 1980s version of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as a child and begging my mum to make me some Turkish Delight, just like the one Edmund was given by the White Witch. Expecting it to taste like the most divine thing I had ever eaten in my life I was gravely disappointed that the pink concoction put before me tasted like ‘Grandma’s hand soap’ rather than the artificial strawberry or raspberry flavour that my 7 year old self was expecting from such a lucid pink confection.
It took me a while to trust my Mum again after that. She insists that she warned me about the potency of the flavouring and that the true reason I took a disliking to it was the fact that she hadn’t cut it up in to perfect little cubes sprinkled in icing sugar and presented in a pretty silver box, just like in the film- I beg to differ.
While even to this day, I still struggle with anything of the rose flavoured variety, I felt that it was high time I got over my childhood traumas and attempted a bake that featured a floral flavoured element. Cue the lavender- it helps you sleep, it matches the colour of my blog’s logo and it makes your sock drawers smell nice. Turns out it’s not too bad in a shortbread either.
Prep Time: 1 hour
Makes: Approx 20 pieces of shortbread depending on the size and shape
Ingredients:
225g Plain Flour
115g Corn flour
225g Butter (softened)
115g Icing Sugar
2 Handfuls of dried lavender flowers
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 130°C/266°F/Gas Mark 2
2. Cream together the butter and sugar
3. Mix in the lavender
4. Sieve in the plain flour and corn flour and then mix.
5. Bring the mix together with your hands and then place on a floured work surface.
6. Roll the dough out until it is half a centimetre thick and then cut it into the desired shapes- I did hearts by cutting around a paper template, and small circles by using the rim of a champagne glass as a make shift cutter.
7. Place the shapes onto trays lined with baking paper and then bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and then sprinkle generously with caster sugar while still warm.
These would look particularly nice in clear presentation bags with a bit of ribbon tied at the top. Alas I have none in my cupboards at the moment, but will be sure to pick up some next time I’m in Lakeland.
