These cherry shortbread biscuits are some of the most delicious biscuits I have ever eaten (and I have eaten a lot of biscuits in my time! I even spent a couple of summer holidays working in a biscuit factory). The addition of cornflour gives the shortbread a little extra crunch. I find that the Morello cherries are a perfect contrast to the buttery flavour of the shortbread and add a pleasant chewiness. While standard glacé cherries could be used, the Morello cherries add far more flavour to the biscuits. The shortbread could be made using margarine instead of butter if you wish to make a plant based version of these biscuits. If using margarine, I would recommend a type which aims to resemble the flavour of butter.
Ingredients
- 175g butter
- 90g caster sugar
- 175g plain white flour
- 50g cornflour
- 115g glacé Morello cherries
How to make cherry shortbread biscuits with Morello cherries
Remove the butter from the fridge to let it reach room temperature before starting to make the biscuits.
Place the butter and caster sugar into a bowl. Cream together using the back of a wooden spoon until the butter and sugar mixture is light and fluffy. Alternatively, the butter and caster sugar could be combined using a mixer or food processor.
Add the flour and cornflour to the bowl.
Rinse the cherries, dry with kitchen paper and cut into quarters. Add the cut cherries to the other ingredients in the bowl.
Mix all the ingredients and work the mixture by hand to form a ball of dough.
Roll out onto a pastry board or other suitable surface to a thickness of about 5 mm. Either form into small circles by hand or use a biscuit cutter. Place on a non-stick baking parchment on a metal baking sheet.
Bake in batches at gas mark 2, 150oC, 300oF. The biscuits take around 20 minutes to cook, but check regularly as oven temperatures vary from one oven to another. Turn the tray part way through the cooking time. For an Aga, place the tray on the grid on the floor of the roasting oven, with the cold plain shelf on the second set of runners. Leave the cooked shortbread on the tray for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 16 approximately.
The shortbread biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for a few days, but if you wish to keep some of them any longer then I find that it is better to freeze them.
You may also like to try walnut shortbread biscuits, made with wholemeal flour and crumbled walnuts to give them a delicious nutty flavour and texture.
Or you may wish to try raisin and spice shortbread, a perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee.
Cherry shortbread biscuits
Ingredients
- 175 g butter softened
- 90 g caster sugar
- 175 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 50 g cornflour
- 115 g glacé Morello cherries
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
- Add the flour and cornflour to the butter and sugar.
- Rinse the cherries, dry with kitchen paper and cut into quarters. Add to the bowl with the other ingredients.
- Mix with a wooden spoon and then form the dough into a single mass using your hands.
- Roll out the dough on a pastry board to a thickness of about 5mm.
- Form biscuit shapes either by hand or using a biscuit cutter and place on non stick baking parchment on a baking tray.
- Bake at 150°C, 300°F, gas mark 2 until the edges just start to turn golden (about 20 minutes). Turn the tray around part way through the cooking time so that they bake evenly.
- Leave to cool on the tray for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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