Everyone seems to love crisp, buttery shortbread. The combination of citrus zest (I used ClemenGold but you can also use orange or Lemon) and Bay leaf (bay laurel, Laurus nobilis, Lauraceae) is a particularly good flavor combination. I have made two batches of this easy biscuit already in the past week and the family have made short work of them! I shall have to bake another batch for Christmas gifts tomorrow!

BAY AND CITRUS SHORTBREAD

Ingredients: 

125g Lightly Salted Butter – at room temperature

60g Castor Sugar

160g Cake Flour (or all purpose flour)

25g Maizena (Corn Flour)

20g Custard Powder (the old fashioned kind not instant custard powder)

5ml Orange  Zest

Pinch Salt

1 fresh Bay Leaf

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Line some cookie sheets with baking paper or parchment and set aside.

Grind the bay leaf together with a little bit of the sugar in a pestle and mortar then add to the rest of the sugar.

Using a mixer or wooden spoon cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Add the ClemenGold zest and beat in.

Sift together the flour, corn flour, custard powder  and salt then sprinkle onto the butter mixture and mix  well just until the dry ingredients are incorporated and come away from the sides of the mixing bowl.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto the counter.

Roll out the dough with a flour dusted rolling pin about ½ – 1cm thick.

Cut out the dough into shapes with cookie cutters.

Place the shapes onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for between 10 – 15minutes  or until very pale brown and crispy.

Sprinkle hot shortbread  with extra castor sugar and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Package and tie with ribbon to make wonderful home baked Christmas gifts!

TIP: You can use all flour if you prefer but the secret to light crispy shortbread is to use a fine product like corn flour and custard powder.

Enjoy… and to all of my readers finishing off work today and travelling on holiday, I wish you safe travels and a wonderfully blessed and happy Christmas season from my home to yours!

browniegirl xx

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Summertime…..and the living is easy! School is out, the sun is shining out of a blue cloudless sky, it is HOT and the kids are splashing in the pool and shrieking with delight. Every now and again a wet, sunkissed little body comes to the door and says “Nan, we’re so hungry!” I bet moms and grandmothers all over the world know that one well. Well, it’s the perfect time to fill the cookie jars and tins with sweet treats for active, hungry kids!

These holiday fruit mince bars make a great treat for kids and grown ups. They take me back to my childhood when my mom used to make these and fill the metal tins that stood high on a shelf in the pantry! You can, of course buy ready-made fruit mince from the store and jazz it up a  bit by adding some orange zest, a grated Granny Smith apple and a bit of orange juice. But I prefer to make my own.  See my recipe here

HOLIDAY FRUIT MINCE BARS

Makes about 15 bars or 25 squares 

Ingredients:

100g (½ Cup) Sugar

1 Egg

120g (½ Cup) Butter

1 ClemenGold – Finely grated zest of half  – reserve the other half zest and all the juice for the mince

280g (2 Cups) Cake Flour

5ml (1tsp) Baking Powder (level)

2.5ml (½ tsp) Freshly grated Nutmeg

2.5ml (½ tsp) Cinnamon

2.5ml (½ tsp) Vanilla Extract

500g (1 ½ Cups) Fruit Mince – warmed with the ClemenGold juice & half the zest

Method:

Preheat oven to 200C.

Grease or spray a 33x23cm baking sheet with shallow sides (or a swiss roll pan).

Cream butter and sugar well.

Add egg and beat in well.

Add vanilla essence and zest and beat in.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and spices together over  the butter mixture and mix in well with the dough hook or K blade of your mixer until all the flour is incorporated.

Cut dough in half, wrap one half in cling wrap and place in the freezer  then press the other half evenly and thinly into the bottom of the prepared baking sheet.

Cover the entire surface evenly with the warmed (not hot) fruit mince.

Remove the other half of the dough from the fridge then using the large side of a grater grate it evenly over the top of the filling (you don’t have to freeze it but it grates much easier!).

Bake in the middle of the oven for 12 – 15 minutes until golden brown on top.

Remove from oven and cut, while still hot, into bars or squares with a sharp knife.

Cut around the 4 sides to release the biscuits from the pan while still hot then leave to cool in the pan before lifting out with a spatula.

Store in an airtight container.

Dust with icing sugar before placing on a serving plate…or eat as is, directly from the tin like I do

Enjoy!

browniegirl xx

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