Netherton Foundry Shropshire

Netherton Foundry Shropshire
Classic cookware, made in England

Tuesday 28 January 2020

Lemon and cardamom shortbread biscuits

I always used to think that shortbread was as simple as 1, 2, 3.
1 measure of sugar, 2 of butter, 3 of plain flour. 
But recently I have been experimenting.
"Testing, testing, 1,2,1,2 testing" not a sound check, but an adaptation of the above formula.
And for these shortbread thins, I have come up with a new variation.  I stick to the old one for thicker shortbread fingers, but these are a crisper, whisper thin version.
Oh yes, I have added a little flavouring too.



The quantities given here will make about 30 biscuits, but as long as you stick to the ratio, you can use ounces, grams, cans of beans or sacks of potatoes depending on how many biscuits you want to make.

Heat the oven to 170ºC

2oz sugar
4oz butter, cubed
2oz cornflour
4oz plain flour
Grated rind of a lemon
Crushed seeds from 6 green cardamom pods

I cannot stand the feel of cornflour, it sets my teeth on edge, so I make these in the food processor.  Simply chuck everything in and mix together until combined to a stiff dough.
Alternatively, rub the butter into the flours until it all resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Then knead into a ball of dough.

Roll out to a thickness of 2mm on a floured surface and cut into rounds (I used a 5½cm cutter and made 30 biscuits). 
Spread them out evenly on a baking sheet and place in the oven.
They will be ready in 15 - 20 minutes, but please, please keep an eye on them.  Although they will be pale in colour and feel soft to the touch, they WILL be cooked.
Remove from the oven at the first sign that they are browning!
Transfer to a cooling rack and they will crisp up beautifully as they cool.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

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