Following the very sad news of the Queen’s death, this is a lovely simple recipe for Scottish shortbread. This was thought to be one of her favourite biscuits that she would enjoy as part of an afternoon tea when visiting her Scottish residence in Balmoral. The recipe is adapted from http://www.daringgourmet.com

Makes about a dozen depending on the size and thickness you make the shortbreads.

Ingredients.

1. 240 grams plain flour

2. 230 grams unsalted butter, cubed and softened at room temperature

3. 120 grams caster sugar

4. Half a teaspoon salt.

5. Demerara sugar for rolling before cutting.

Method.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking tray or use a silicone baking mat.

2. Place the caster sugar, flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until it’s combined and looks like coarse breadcrumbs but is soft and pliable and comes together in a dough when you press it together between your fingers. If it’s too dry and crumbly it needs to be pulsed a bit longer.

3. Use your fingers and hands to collect the mixture into a ball on the work surface. Then roll into a sausage shape. This biscuit sausage then goes into the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour to firm up again.

4. Sprinkle Demerara sugar on the work top and roll the biscuit in the sugar to cover.

5. With a sharp knife slice the sausage into rounds about half a centimetre thick and carefully place the biscuits onto the baking tray or mat, spaced out.

3. Place the shortbread on the middle rack and bake for 30-35 minutes or until light golden and firm. Let cool.