You can add all sorts of flavorings to shortbread, from vanilla and cocoa powder to hazelnuts and almonds. Herbs are good too: rosemary and lavender both work well, as does lemon thyme, which gives the shortbread a lovely delicate perfume.
MAKES: ABOUT 24 FINGERS
INGREDIENTS:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- ⅔ cup superfine sugar, plus extra to sprinkle
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped lemon thyme
INSTRUCTIONS:
- CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR
- Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
- MIX DRY INGREDIENTS
- Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt and set aside.
- COMBINE ALL INGREDIENTS
- Turn the mixer to its lowest setting and, with the motor running, add the lemon thyme, then the flour, a little at a time, until combined.
- Shape into a flattened ball with your hands, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 20 minutes.
- PREHEAT OVEN
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F.
- SHAPE COOKIES
- For shortbread fingers, gently pack the dough into a lightly buttered Swiss roll pan (roughly 12 x 8 inches). Score the surface to mark out the fingers and prick all over with a fork.
- If you want to make circular cookies, roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to ¼ inch thick, then stamp out the rounds using a 2½-inch cutter. (You can gather together the scraps and reroll them once.)
- Transfer to 2 lightly buttered baking sheets, leaving a little space between the cookies, then prick them with a fork.
- BAKE AND COOL
- Bake for 15–20 minutes until pale golden, checking often as ovens vary and the shortbread can easily burn.
- Cool in the pan or on the sheet until firm, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- ADD FINISHING TOUCHES
- Sprinkle with superfine sugar, if you like, and store in an airtight container.
