Cinnamon Shortbread

A little twist on the traditional Scottish shortbread!

We always had a tin of homemade shortbread in the cupboard when I was growing up in Edinburgh and with our current wintery weather here in Australia I thought a little warming cinnamon might make a pleasant change.

What can I say ……….. there’s none left! It must be good!

Makes 20 biscuits. You can also freeze the unbaked dough and the baked shortbread.

Ingredients

220g butter

120g caster sugar plus a little extra

300g plain flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method

Process the butter and sugar.

Add the flour and process until coming together as a dough.

Spread out a large piece of plastic wrap on your work surface.

Tip the dough onto it and form into a long sausage, around 5-6cm diameter.

Pop in to the fridge for 30mins at least.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Centigrade. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

Take the dough out of the fridge and unwrap, keeping the plastic wrap under it.

Sprinkle a little sugar along the sausage and roll around until completely covered.

Slice the dough into discs, around 1cm thick.

Place the biscuit dough onto the prepared sheets and place them in the oven.

Bake for 25 mins and then allow to cool on a wire rack.

 

 

Coconut Shortbread

I grew up with this shortbread on the biscuit barrel regularly.

Mum always baked it in a tin, marked with a knife into wedges and using fork prongs to make a decorative pattern. This quantity makes four wheels.

The boys like biscuits rather than wedges, go figure, so I now roll the dough by hand and then roll it in coconut.

You can freeze the unbaked dough, I roll it into a fat sausage, double wrap in cling film and label. To bake, allow to defrost, roll the entire sausage in coconut and then cut slices and bake as below.

Makes around 36-40 depending on size.

Ingredients

450g butter, at room temperature

225g caster sugar

450g plain flour

225g desiccated coconut, plus extra

225g cornflour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Centigrade.

Line three baking sheets with baking parchment.

Cream the butter and sugar.

Add the remaining ingredients and beat to form a dough.

Pour a little extra coconut into a bowl.

Take a small piece of dough, size of a ping pong ball.

Roll it into a ball, roll it in the coconut and then gently flatten with your hand, place on the prepared baking sheet.

Repeat until all the dough is used, pop the first two trays into the oven and bake for 20-25 mins., keep an eye on them!

Once they are golden brown, allow to cool for 5mins and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely, store in an airtight container.