TODAY’S RECIPE:

Cheddar & hazelnut shortbread

SAVOURY mid-afternoon snack. MAKES: 40.

Ingredients

155g blanched hazelnuts 110g cold butter, cut into chunks 100g plain flour 225g mature cheddar, finely grated 1 medium egg, lightly beaten

Method

1 Blitz 85g of hazelnuts in a food processor until ground. Cut the remaining nuts into halves.

2 Pulse ground hazelnuts, butter, flour, cheddar, ½ tsp salt and egg in food processor a few times. Don’t pulse for too long — you want the mixture to look like breadcrumbs rather than coming together in a ball. Tip mixture on to a large piece of cling film and, using the film to shape it, mould into a ball, then leave in the fridge for a couple of hours.

3 Heat oven to 200c/180c fan/gas 6. Pull out 1 tbsp chunks of the dough and roll each into a ball. Place on a baking sheet and flatten each biscuit to 3.5 cm across, leaving room between each. Push four hazelnut halves into the top of each biscuit. Cook for ten minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. Leave to cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.