Walnut shortbread biscuits (wholemeal shortbread)

Walnut shortbread biscuits are a simple variation on classic shortbread biscuits. They are made with a mixture of plain white flour and wholemeal flour, with the addition of cornflour to add a little extra crunch. Walnut shortbread is sure to add a touch of luxury to your afternoon tea. Why not also make a batch of lemon and poppy seed shortbread or lavender shortbread?

Ingredients

• 175g butter (at room temperature)
• 90g caster sugar
• 75g wholemeal flour
• 75g plain white flour
• 50g cornflour
• 30g walnuts

Equipment needed to make walnut shortbread biscuits

• Large baking bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Pastry board or other suitable work surface
• Rolling pin
• Biscuit cutter
• Metal baking sheet
• Non-stick baking parchment

How to make walnut shortbread biscuits

Cream together the butter and sugar in a large baking bowl until light and fluffy.

Add the plain white flour, wholemeal flour and cornflour and mix until evenly combined.

Break the walnuts into small pieces and mix into the other ingredients.

Work the dough with your hands to form a single mass. Lightly flour a pastry board. Place the dough onto the board using your hands and roll out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about half a centimetre.

Use a biscuit cutter to form biscuit shapes and place on non-stick baking parchment on a metal baking tray.

Place in the fridge for around half an hour to chill before cooking. This will help to avoid the biscuits spreading while cooking.

How to bake walnut shortbread biscuits

Bake in batches at 150^oC, 300^oF, gas mark 2 until the biscuits just start to turn golden at the edges. The biscuits will still be quite pale when ready to be taken out of the oven. They may take around 10 - 20 minutes to cook depending on the actual oven temperature and the position in the oven. Check regularly, say after 5 minutes, to avoid overcooking as the biscuits will cook quickly. If you have 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 cooked, leave on the tray for around 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Tips

1. If you wish to bring the butter to room temperature quickly, you may be able to do this in a microwave (low power setting).
2. Remember to chill the biscuits before cooking to avoid spreading whilst cooking.
3. Make sure the biscuits are not too thin. It is better to make them slightly too thick rather than too thin.
4. Don't be tempted to leave the biscuits in the oven too long as they can easily become overcooked.
5. Store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. If you plan to keep any biscuits longer than this it is better to freeze them and defrost a few when needed.
6. For a vegan version, plant based margarine could be used in place of butter.

Other shortbread variations you may wish to try