Shortbread Hearts

These little, crisp, shortbread hearts are perfect with ice cream, fruit fool, or any delicious creamy pudding.   Traditionally made with rice flour (not essential) they keep well in a tin, if there are any left over.....

Shortbread Hearts 

5oz/150g plain flour

3 level tbsps rice flour – if no rice flour, substitute plain flour

2oz/50g caster sugar

4oz/100g butter at just above room temperature

Preheat oven to 170deg C/325 deg F.    Grease a large baking sheet.   Mix together the flours and the sugar.    Add the butter and work it into the dry ingredients.   It will form a dryish dough, which you knead a little before rolling (this stretches the gluten and makes the biscuit stick together better).  

Roll out the dough between two pieces of greaseproof parchment, about .5cm thick for the hearts.   Cut out the shapes and transfer using a fish slice to the baking sheet.   Bake until golden – the butter in the mixture will brown while your back is turned, so check it frequently after 15 minutes or so.      When they are done, dredge them with caster sugar.  

This quantity of ingredients made a whole tray of hearts in different sizes.   Instead of hearts, you can pack the shortbread into a mould or small square/round sandwich tin.   The tin version will probably take longer to cook.   For Christmas, you could punch out a small hole in each heart, then thread with ribbon and hang on the tree.  

75 mouthwatering recipes, including over 30 exclusive ones, are in my new cookbook:  Kate's Puddings Cookbook - out now! http://www.parkersprint.com/kates%20puddings.html