Dead Easy Shortbread biscuits

Submitted by: Helen of Rock

Ingredients:

Ok - so bear with me. I can give you measurements in metric and imperial, but I'm English and this cup thing confuses the hell out of me...

50 g / 2 oz / 1/2 a cup caster sugar
(that's the really fine sugar for making cakes and biscuits, but not the powdery stuff for icing (frosting) - god, all the nouns I know are wrong!)

150 g / 6 oz / 1 1/2 cups Plain Flour

100 g / 4 oz / 1 cup butter (for preference) or margarine

ok, so the ratio is:

1 sugar : 2 fat : 3 flour.

I'm sure you guys are clever enough to take it from there. :)

Method:

Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.

Cut up the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients. It really helps if you're a little on the generous side when you measure the fat.

Once you get to the kind of golden coloured 'breadcrumb' stage, squish the mix together into a lump.

Roll the mix out carefully and (if using the metric measurements, and if I've converted right) cut into 12 biscuits. The dough does tend to crack a bit, but you just have to set your mind to it and smooth it back together.

Pop them onto a greased baking tray, and put them in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 4 / 180 C / 375 F / 453 K (ok, so that's getting silly - anyone who has a cooker marked up in Kelvin wins a prize), for 15 minutes or so, until they go golden brown and lovely. Leave to cool, dredge in more sugar.

Recipe added or updated on: March, 2004.