BOTTOM-OF-THE-BARREL SHORTBREAD: easy, wallet-friendly singleton's indulgence, dairy-free option, egg-free

Scottish Shortbread: a blissful wallet-friendly treat prepped in minutes

Really, really easy but absolutely delightful Crunchy Shortbread cookies
'Very crispy and easy to eat. Loved them.' 'A godsend!' Tasters

These lovely biscuits are not just the 'will-do' type of biscuit made when the budget is tight or the cupboard is bare. It comes in standard 'roll-em-into-a-ball-and-squash-thembiscuits or roll the dough and cut outs shapes.   

They are actually rather scrumptious treats, a backbone of Scottish baking.  But it does just so happen that this first-class shortbread needs only four ingredients: butter, sugar, flour and flavouring. And you can leave out the flavouring!  When shopping is a problem, you could do a lot worse. 

The Bottom-of-the-Barrel version uses conventional sugar, not icing sugar, producing a more crunchy, hardier biscuit which can be dunked without losing crumble-ability.  

They are not remotely healthy but 67 added brown flour and sugar for extra fibre. 

Like all shortbreads, it's really easy to make; an older child can handle it without problems.   There's also a mocha version below.  

The amount is for a small household but multiples easily.

Cost: £1.35 (6/23)

Makes: 8'ish biscuits

Ingredients:

  100gm/3.5oz soft salted dairy or plant butter

             25gm/oz white sugar

         12gm/scant 1/2oz brown sugar OR 40 gms/1.4oz white sugar

         1/2 tsp vanilla

     

         110gm/3.8oz plain white flour +

         25gm/4/5 oz wholemeal 

               OR 140gm/5oz white

         generous handful chocolate chips (opt)

     

Method:

1. Whip butter until structure breaks down (a few seconds);  beat in sugar until pale & fluffy - a few minutes; blend in vanilla
2. Add flour; mix until soft dough forms; stir in chocolate chips if using, distribute evenly.  
3. Form into a ball, wrap in cling; refrigerate 1 hour
4. Preheat oven to 180c/350f
5. The biscuits can be any size really but 67 formed 8 equal sized ping pong balls of dough, placed them with plenty of space in between on a tray lined with greaseproof paper and flattened them with the base of a glass lightly dipped in flour
6. They were baked 10-12 mins, removed from oven and the oven turned off.  After resting 10 mins, the cookies were returned to the cold oven 15 mins
7. For cut-out biscuits, see below
8. Serve plain, or drizzled with or partially dipped in melted white, milk or dark chocolate, or drizzle with flowing butter-cream icing (start with 1/3 cup icing sugar mixed with 1/3 tsp milk or cream)
9. Store cookies in an airtight container

Cut-out biscuits: 

Roll out dough between two lightly floured pieces of greaseproof paper to the width of a one-pound coin.  Cut out biscuits with a floured cookie cutter, saving scraps.  Lift the cookies onto the cooking tray with a lightly floured fish slice. Bake 8-10 mins or until brown at the edges.  Repeat with scraps. There is no need to return the cookies to a cold oven.

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*adapted from Rock Recipes 

Comments:

• 'I had the thin ones and loved them. They were very crispy & easy to eat and digest.' 67's general handy-man 
• 'The plate of biscuits with fresh raspberries were heavenly; I could have eaten them all day!' Young carer for retired Priest.
• 'Lovely soft crunchy texture, whether solid or thin.  The recipe's a god-send when bakery cupboards are bare. '  Blogger

Tips:

• Mocha variation: replace 20gm/3/4 oz white flour with 20gm/3/4oz cocoa powder; replace 1/2tsp vanilla with 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules mixed with 1/2tsp hot water.  Roll out the biscuits.
• dairy butter gives best flavour but margarine or vegan butter will do
• wholemeal flour and brown sugar can be replaced with white
• if using chocolate chips, divide dough in half and add only to one half   
• wholemeal flour is more dense and absorbs /3/4 more liquid than white flour 

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This recipe has been adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be used commercially without the author's written permission.