Short short bread

Somehow shortbread is one of those sweet treats that seems seasonal to me. I do make shortbread biscuits as a variation but the real one, the scottish type, fits this time of year. Just a biscuit but satisfying and luxurious and, of course, easy to make too. So I filled a tin by using this old recipe, from who knows where. I did have another recipe which makes up a smaller batch but if you are going to the bother,  it is worth making lots, especially as it keeps so well. But our tinful has gone down quite dramatically already....

Shortbread

7 oz Plain Flour
2 oz cornflour
6 oz butter which you have taken from the fridge and allowed to soften slightly
3 oz castor sugar

Oven at No 4/150
A large baking sheet greased and lined with greaseproof paper
A 7'' tin or plate to act as a measuring guide

1. If you have a food processor, all the ingredients can just be mixed together using the machine - pulse it gradually until a mixture forms, then turn it out and continue shaping it into a block with your hands - handling it as lightly as you would pastry.
2. Without a processor, you need to beat the butter and sugar together first, using a wooden spoon and a big bowl, then blend in the rest.
3. Let the mixture rest on your surface for half and hour, under a bowl and then divide it into two.
4. Roll  each half out using your rolling pin very gently and patting where it helps, into a 7'' circle.
5. Prink the edges with your finger, like the edges of a pastry pie, and prick all over with a fork, just lightly.
6. Then slide your circles onto the baking sheet and bake for 30 mins until they start to look golden.
7. Take out of the oven, let them cool on a rack still on the sheet for a little while. At this stage use a sharp knife to cut through each into sections, about 8, leaving them whole for the time being.
8.  When you can, slide them onto the rack to go cold. They will crisp up as they cool.
9. Sprinkle with sugar and store in an airtight tin.