Lemon and poppy seed shortbread biscuits are simply delicious! They melt in your mouth and at the same time have a delightful crunch. As with many biscuits, these shortbread biscuits are easy to make and they are certainly far better than any bought shortbread I have ever tried. Why not make an extra batch to share with family or friends? Or try a batch of lavender shortbread?
Ingredients
- 175g butter (or plant based margarine if you wish to prepare vegan shortbread)
- 90g caster sugar
- 150g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 50g cornflour
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 dessertspoon poppy seeds
Equipment needed to make lemon and poppy seed shortbread biscuits
- Large bowl
- Wooden spoon to cream the butter and sugar
- Sieve
- Kitchen scales
- Dessertspoon (10ml)
- Knife
- Grater or lemon zester
- Pastry board or other suitable work surface to roll out the biscuit dough
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Biscuit cutter
- Non stick baking parchment
- Metal baking tray
How to make lemon and poppy seed shortbread biscuits
Remove the butter from the fridge and allow to soften.
Cream 175g butter and 90g caster sugar together in a bowl.
Add 150g flour, 50g cornflour, lemon zest from one lemon and 1 dessertspoon poppy seeds and mix until thoroughly combined.
Work the lemon and poppy seed shortbread dough with your hands to form a single mass.
Lightly flour a pastry board and press the dough onto the board either with a rolling pin or using your hands to a thickness of about half a centimetre (roughly a quarter of an inch).
Form biscuit shapes with a cutter (or by hand) and place on non-stick baking parchment on a baking tray.
Place the tray of unbooked shortbread in the fridge to chill for around 30 minutes or so before baking. This will help to reduce the risk of the biscuits spreading.
Bake the shortbread cookies in batches at gas mark 2, 150oC, 300oF until cooked. This may take around 20 minutes or so but check regularly to avoid overcooking. For an Aga, cook the tray of biscuits on the grid shelf of the floor of the roasting oven with the cold plain shelf on the second set of runners. When the shortbread biscuits are ready, leave on the tray for a few minutes to set before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Tips
- Remove the butter from the fridge ahead of starting to bake so that it reaches room temperature. Alternatively, soften (but do not melt) the butter using the appropriate setting in a microwave.
- Chill the lemon and poppy seed shortbread biscuits before baking to avoid spreading too much whilst in the oven.
- Check regularly during the cooking time to avoid overcooking.
- Store the shortbread cookies in an airtight container. They will keep for a couple of days (unless eaten first!). If you plan to keep them any longer it is better to freeze them and defrost when needed.
You may wish to try wholemeal walnut shortbread biscuits. These are made with a mixture of wholemeal and white flour with the additional of broken walnuts to add even more flavour and texture.
Lemon and poppy seed shortbread biscuits
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Kitchen scales
- Wooden spoon
- Sieve
- dessertspoon
- Knife
- Grater or lemon zester
- Pastry board
- Rolling Pin
- Biscuit cutter
- Metal baking tray
- Non stick baking parchment
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 175 g butter at room temperature
- 90 g caster sugar
- 150 g flour plus extra for rolling out
- 50 g cornflour
- 1 dessertspoon poppy seeds
- 1 lemon zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar together.
- Add the flour, cornflour, lemon zest and poppy seeds and mix well.
- Work the dough with your hands to form a single mass.
- Lightly flour a pastry board and roll out the dough to a thickness of about half a centimetre (roughly quarter of an inch).
- Form biscuit shapes with a cutter or by hand and place on a non stick baking parchment on a baking tray.
- Chill the uncooked shortbread for about 30 minutes.
- Bake in batches at 150C, 300F, gas mark 2 until just starting to turn golden at the edges. This may take around 20 minutes but check regularly to avoid overcooking.
- Leave on the tray for about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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