GRANDMA’S SHORTBREAD ROUNDS

My amazing Grandma, who taught me to bake, used to make the world’s best shortbread. This is her recipe – light, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It’s an oldie but a goodie.

Makes 24

200g (7oz) unsalted butter, softened

125g (4½oz) icing sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling

225g (8oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

Cream the butter and icing sugar together, covering the bowl with a tea towel to begin with so that the icing sugar doesn’t fly everywhere. When fully combined, sift in the flour and mix to a soft dough. Bring the dough together with your hands (don’t worry if it’s a little sticky at this stage) and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Dust a clean, dry worktop and a rolling pin with some plain flour. Roll out the dough to a thickness of around 1cm. Using a 5cm round cutter (or the rim of a small glass), cut 24 circles out of the dough and place them on 2 baking sheets lined with greaseproof paper, around 3cm apart. Prick each round a few times with a fork, then put the tray in the fridge for 30 minutes.

When the time’s nearly up, preheat the oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/gas 3. Bake the shortbread for 35 minutes, switching the trays halfway through so they bake evenly. Take the shortbread out when it’s a pale golden colour – too long and it’ll go crispy. Allow to cool on a wire rack, then dust with icing sugar.