Photo of Shortbread biscuits by WW

Shortbread biscuits

3
Points® value
Total Time
1 hr 5 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
15 min
Serves
32
Difficulty
Easy
These pretty shortbread ‘petticoat tails’ make a lovely centrepiece for an afternoon tea with friends.

Ingredients

Low Fat Spread

175 g

Caster Sugar

75 g

Egg, whole, raw

1 medium, raw

Plain White Flour

310 g, plus extra for dusting

Baking powder

1 teaspoon(s), level

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the low-fat spread and sugar using a hand-held electric whisk or wooden spoon, then beat in the egg. Sift in the flour and the baking powder and combine until you have a stiff dough. Using your hands, press together into a ball, then wrap in clingfilm and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.
  2. Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas mark 5.
  3. Cut the dough in half. Put a piece of baking paper onto your work surface and dust with a little flour, then roll out one portion of the dough into a 22cm round on the baking paper. Using a fork, pierce the dough to mark out 16 equal segments – it helps if you mark it out in quarters first, then mark out each quarter into 4 more segments. Crimp the edge of the pastry round with your fingers, then lift the baking paper and dough onto a baking sheet.
  4. Repeat with the remaining dough and place on a second baking sheet, then bake both rounds for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into segments to serve.

Notes

If you don’t want to make petticoats, use a square biscuit cutter to cut out 32 biscuits from the dough. You may need to reroll the trimmings.