Shortbread- Mary Berry Style

Oh, it's autumn you say? TIME TO SPEND THE LONG DARK NIGHTS BAKING!

Oh my goodness, shortbread is my nemesis. There are just some things I can’t get my head around cooking, stuff that just NEVER comes out how I want it to:

-The first is the most shameful: mashed potatoes. Mine are all at once thin AND lumpy.  It’s not hard. And I am Irish. But still, no dice.

-The second is more of a group of things I fail at: toffee/caramel/fudge. Can’t do it. I follow the instructions to. the. letter and still I just can’t make it do what it needs to. There have been some super disasters in this, to the point where I just buy the pre-made banoffee toffee stuff when I need to. DON’T LOOK AT ME!

-And finally: shortbread. My paternal grandmother makes the most perfect, melt in your mouth, flavourful, crisp shortbread that the world has ever seen. My mother makes shortbread that is close to perfection. And I just can’t measure up to it..

Until Mary effing Berry came into my life. This shortbread is rather different from the ones I’ve known before, it’s thicker and softer, but still just delightful. If you’re keeping track of my ideal afternoon tea tray, add these bad boys to it.

Makes 30ish slices

Ingredients

• 225g plain flour
• 100g semolina
• 100g caster sugar
• 225g butter, cubed
• Vanilla sugar, to decorate

Method

Begin by measuring the flour, semolina and caster sugar in a large bowl, mixing roughly.

Add in the butter and work it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips.

Once it begins to come together, kneed gently.

Now, the recipe I used said to press it into a tin (30 by 20cm ish), but that did NOT go well for me. So instead, I came up with a different way to get it into the tin.

First, draw around the tin onto a sheet of greaseproof paper.

Turn the paper over so you’re not putting food on the pen-side, but it should still easily show through.

Place this on the surface you’re going to use for rolling out, and onto the centre of it, set the dough, formed into a rough rectangle.

Roll out according to the margins of the drawn baking tray. If it’s too big or bulky, either re-form it with your hands, or just slice a little off to give clean edges.

Carefully lift the paper into the tin, setting the dough in the correct place, and prick lightly with a fork all over.

Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for 35 minutes.

Once cooked, let cool for a few minutes in the tin, slice into 30 or so slices and carefully lift off onto a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container, but you won’t need to do that for long! These bad boys will fly off the plate. SUCCESS!