Shortbread Biscuits Recipe

Assalamu Alaikum!

It's Maryam here with yet another recipe for you all!

 I believe I was nine years old when I decided to bake something all on my own. With my Mum's permission, I decided on Shortbread biscuits. It was the first recipe I wrote down in my Recipe Book too, and I remember baking it so often, every time learning from my mistakes. However, for the last few years I've been only baking them on special occasions, so perhaps that's the reason why it has taken me this long (two years!) to get round to doing this post. 

Anyway! without further delay, lets begin.

Ingredients:

(Just so you are aware, I have tripled the recipe because we are a family of seven, which is why the ingredients in the pictures may look a lot more than what the recipe calls for)

110g butter (softened at room temp.)

50g granulated sugar

175g plain flour (sifted)

Method:

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, 150 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 2. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Step 2: Beat the butter with a wooden spoon to a soft consistency.

Step 3: Beat in the sugar.

Step 4: Follow in with the sifted flour.

I've found that one of the secrets to making shortbread is to beat it all by hand, using a wooden spoon, for that way you have more control and you don't over beat your dough. However! Making shortbread for seven people, as I have done, means there is a lot of mixture to beat, and it definitely gives me a good work out in the end!

Eventually you will see the mixture come together a bit more, and that's when you should go in with your hands.

Shape it into a ball of dough and knead it a few times, but not too much. Again, with ten years experience in making shortbread biscuits, I've found that the less you handle and soften your dough the better.

(I cut my dough into threes so as to handle the same piece of dough less and it makes rolling it out easier.)

Step 5: Roll out your dough to about 1 cm thick. (The dough may crack or crumble a little at the edges at first, simply push and press it back into the rest of the dough). Cut and place on the greased baking sheet.

Step 6: Bake for 30 - 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack and then dust with some extra sugar.

Store them in an airtight container to keep them crisp. And you're done!

This is one of the long-time favourites in our house and I hope it becomes one of yours too! That's all for today. See you next week, insha'Allah.

Love and wasalaam,

Maryam