Last year, I explained why we celebrate Hogmanay in Scotland, rather than New Year’s Eve so this year I thought I’d introduce you to one of our traditional foods: shortbread. Of course, shortbread isn’t just eaten in Scotland but it is always identified with our country and often bought as a souvenir by tourists when they visit.

Shortbread is something most Scots families will have on hand at Hogmanay and it has been a tradition in Scotland since medieval times when left over dough from bread making was allowed to harden into a biscuit. Shortbread was a luxury item that people could only afford to eat on special occasions such as weddings, Christmas and New Year. Shortbread is traditionally formed into one of three shapes: one large circle divided into segments (”Petticoat Tails”); individual round biscuits (”Shortbread Rounds”); or a thick rectangular slab cut into “fingers’. Nowadays, there are many different recipes, so the one below is just an example.

Ingredients:
6oz Plain flour
4oz Soft butter
2oz caster (granulated) sugar
1 oz cornflour (cornstarch)

Method:
Mix the butter and sugar together (preferably with a wooden spoon) until it is pale and creamy. Sieve both the flour and the cornflour into the bowl and mix well. Put a small amount of flour on your working surface and place the dough on this. Shake a little flour on top and roll out about quarter inch thick. Prick with a fork and cut into rounds with a cutter or, if you want one large shortbread round, pinch the edges with thumb and finger all round.

Use a palette knife to lift the shortbread onto an oiled baking tray and bake for 25 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 325F/170C/Gas Mark 3. If the biscuits are ready, they will be pale brown and crisp; if not, return to the oven for 5 or 10 minutes. Shake a small amount of caster/granulated sugar on the top of the shortbread immediately after they have been removed from the oven. Use a palette knife to move them to a cooling rack and store in an airtight tin once they are cold.