Silhouette shortbread biscuits.

This Valentine’s day our pudding was a simple bowl of strawberries and raspberries. However, I wanted to add a little something extra, a little crunch, so I decided to add a simple biscuit. This being Valentines day I had to include a heart or two, and silhouette biscuits are one way to do this. Simple, yet effective, as long as you have a small heart cutter and a little food colouring you can make these. Endlessly adaptable too, hearts could become flowers, numbers, initials and so on. Food colour could become a little cocoa powder, a crushed cardomom pod or some lemon zest.

Ingredients

• 150g plain flour
• 100g softened butter
• 50g golden caster sugar
• Colour or flavour of your choice for half of the dough.
• circular cutter
• small inset cutter (shape of your choice)

How to

• Preheat the oven to 160c
• Beat together the butter and sugar until well combined.
• Work in the flour, first with a wooden spoon and then with your hands.
• Knead together until the dough becomes uniform and pliable.
• Split the dough into two equal pieces. Add your colour or flavour to one half and work into the dough.
• Leave to rest on the side for 30 minutes.
• Roll out both doughs until the thickness of a two pound coin.
• Stamp out circles, stamp out the shapes in the centre of the circles. Swap the shapes from one coloured or flavoured dough into the opposite circle.

• Place on a baking tray and pop into the fridge for 10 minutes to set up a little before baking. This makes the imprint stay sharp when baked.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until just beginning to darken slightly.
• Place on a wire rack to cool.

Ideal as a gift, with tea or simply as little surprise in the biscuit tin.

Advertisement