baked goods

S is supposedly FINALLY arriving tonight (fingers crossed), and since that movie Clueless taught us that you should always have something in the oven when a boy comes over, I whipped up some shortbread shooting stars. I love christmas!

The recipe was care of my mum: thanks, lady!


MOTHER’S FAMOUS SHORTBREAD RECIPE
1¼ cups flour (140 grms)
60 grams ground rice (rice flour) optional [I didn't have this so I replaced it with semolina]
3 scant tablespoons (85 grms) castor sugar
140 grms butter

One of the main things about making shortbread (like any pastry) is that it should be quite cold when you put it into the oven (rested, as they say). The ground rice gives a special kind of crunch but personal taste and not a
big difference.  I should confess that from time to time I have simply put everything in the blender and blended it (but not too much!) then turned it out on to floured board and as per the following …

Sieve flour, ground rice and castor sugar into bowl.  Add butter, knead and squeeze into the dry ingredients (using one hand only – this to reduce the heat of the hands transferring to the pastry) until mixture is combined
into a smooth, stiff dough.

Divide the dough into three or four pieces and wrap each in glad wrap and put in the fridge for half an hour.

Take out the dough and gently press out into rounds about as big as a saucer and as thick as you would like (it shouldn’t really change shape much in cooking).  Pinch the edges, slice into eighths or whatever you prefer and
prick with a fork. [I cut them into shooting stars, obviously]  Lay out on a baking tray and again return to fridge for
at least another half hour.  (Baking tray can be lightly greased).

Bake in a  slow oven for 15 – 20 minutes until light golden.  They will be extremely soft when you remove from oven.  Allow to set on the baking trays before removing to a wire cooling tray.