Monday 25 July 2011

Nicest biscuits in the world..ever!!



I have delevoped a strange craving lately of things that are both sweet and salty at the same time. Think honey roasted peanuts and sea salt flavored chocolate, hmmm! I think it's probably down to the fact that I'm getting older and sadly I can't eat as many sweet things as I used to.
I discovered these amazing rosemary shortread biscuits after a friend kindly made me up a batch. I think they're delicious and they make great presents when displayed in a vintage glass cookie jar.



Gordon Ramsey's Rosemary Shortbread

Usually associated with savoury dishes, rosemary is a great, robust winter herb that can give shortbread a different dimension. I find that it makes the biscuits taste a little less sweet.

340g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
225g unsalted butter, softened
140g caster sugar, plus extra to sprinkle
2 tbsp chopped rosemary leaves


1 Sift the flour with the salt. Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.

2 Turn the mixer to its lowest setting and add the rosemary then the flour, a little at a time. Stop mixing as soon as the dough comes together. Shape the dough into a flattened ball, wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 20 minutes.

3 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. For bars, gently pack the dough into a lightly buttered Swiss roll tin. Score the surface to mark out bars and prick all over with a fork. For biscuits, roll out the dough on a lightly floured board to 5-7mm thick. Stamp out the biscuits using a cookie cutter, then transfer to two lightly buttered baking sheets, leaving a little space between each biscuit. Prick each biscuit with a fork.

4 Bake for 15-20 minutes until pale golden. Let the shortbread cool on the tray for 10 minutes until firm, then transfer to a wire rack for them to cool completely.

5 Sprinkle with caster sugar, if you like. Keep in an airtight container.