shortbread

With Easter just around the corner, what better time is there to whip up a tooth achingly indulgent treat? This melt-in-the mouth, peanut butter millionaire’s shortbread, has the perfect balance of salty sweetness that will keep your hand firmly in the biscuit tin. I’ll let you decide whether that’s a good or a bad thing.

Peanut butter millionaire shortbread
Makes 16 squares / Hands on time 50 mins / Total time 50 mins plus chilling / V
You’ll need: 20x20cm deep loose bottomed square tin
For the shortbread:
125g unsalted butter at room temperature + extra for greasing
50g golden caster sugar + plus extra for dusting
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g plain flour
50g salted peanuts
For the peanut caramel:
100g unsalted butter
75g light brown sugar
25g dark Muscovado
397g can condensed milk
3 tbs crunchy peanut butter
Pinch sea salt flakes
100g good quality dark chocolate

Method
Step 1: Make the shortbread
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line the tin with baking paper and grease well with butter. Put to one side.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy (you can do this with a wooden spoon or use a standing mixer). Once smooth and creamy sift in the flour.
3. Using a wooden spoon or a standing mixer, combine together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the salted peanuts and turn out into the centre of the tin. Spread out to the edges of the tin evenly using a spoon, before using your finger-tips to press it down until you have a firm biscuit base.
4. Bake for 20 mins or until the surface is slightly golden. Leave to cool fully in the tin.

Step 2: Make the peanut caramel
1. Place the butter, both sugars, peanut butter and the can of condensed milk in a medium sized pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Continually stir with a wooden spoon making sure no sugar sticks to the bottom of the pan.
2. Turn the heat up to medium high, stirring continuously and bring to the boil. Once boiling, lower the heat back down to low and stir continuously for 5-10 mins or until the mixture has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and pour over the cooled shortbread. Sprinkle over a pinch of sea salt flakes and leave to set and cool fully.
3. Make the topping by melting the chocolate slowly in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Pour the melted chocolate over the cold caramel and manoeuvre the tin with your hands to allow the chocolate to spread evenly and to the edges. Leave to set in the fridge.
4. To turn out the shortbread, use a sharp knife to score around the edges of the shortbread (it can help to use a hot knife so carefully run it under hot water and dry before scoring and turning out). Cut into squares (again using a hot sharp knife) and serve.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V – Vegetarian

Want to take your bakes to the next level? Then why not treat yourself to a Learning with experts online course ‘The Essentials of cake baking’ with Rosalind Miller?

Yes friends, its that time of year again, it’s officially cheap arse edible gift time, hooray! So why not spare some pennies and give the less important friends in your life, a disappointing edible gift for Christmas.
The beauty of the edible gift is that the receiver has to be grateful for your efforts, no matter how minimal or shit your gift is, it’s brilliant. They’ll obviously know you’re being cheap but hey, they’re not your important friends so who cares right? Frankly, they should be lucky to be getting a present at all.
Although be warned, if this is your second year of edible gifting, be prepared to receive some revengeful edible gifts in return for last years efforts (I can certainly sense a jar of disappointing onion chutney winging its way to me in the post.)
Anyway, this years edible gift is vanilla shortbread. It’s literally made from three ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard, sugar, flour and butter. I actually add a touch of salt and vanilla to mine to give it a bit of pizzazz but that’s it. Not only is it irresistibly short and crumbly but it’s melt in the mouth delicious, so you never know, perhaps you’ll be forgiven for being cheap for one more year.
But hey, if shortbread isn’t your bag, then why not try last years edible gift Salted Saltana & Rum Fudge.

Vanilla shortbread
Makes 1 round / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 40 mins + cooling time / V
You’ll need: Baking paper, and a 10 inch loose bottomed flan tin
125g unsalted butter at room temperature + extra for greasing
50g golden caster sugar + plus extra for dusting
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
175g plain flour

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a loose based flan tin with baking paper and grease well with butter.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. You can do this with a wooden spoon or use a mixer. Once smooth and creamy add the of flour.
3. Mix until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Pour into the centre of the tin and spread out evenly. Press down with your finger tips until you have a firm biscuit like dough.
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly golden. Leave to cool fully in the tin before sprinkling with 2 golden caster sugar. Carefully remove the shortbread from the tin and slice into pieces. The mixture will be very short and crumbly so don’t worry too much if some bits break off, it’s part of the charm. Enjoy with a cup of tea (obviously).

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.