Melt-in-the-mouth-shortbread-buttons

Always keen to find as many uses for my knitting needles as possible, I thought that poking little holes on shortbread might be fun.

And so it is!

You can make button holes!

But first, you have to make buttons.

Here's the recipe.

170g butter. Proper butter. Definitely not margarine. Tastes SOOOOO amazing with butter.

85g caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

170g flour

85g semolina. 

Pop the oven on gas 3/170c

Grab a baking sheet (might need 2) 

In a bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric hand whisk til soft and fluffy.

Beat in the vanilla.

Add the flour and semolina to form a dough.

Now, most recipes say to wrap and chill for 30minutes.

Here's a secret into my world....I never bother! Too impatient!

But you can.       :)

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough, about half of ot a a time, but don't use too much flour as it makes the biscuits a bit dry. They need to be really quite thin - about the thickness of a £1 coin.

Find two cutters, one slightly smaller than the other. I use a liqueur glass and a shot glass.

Cut rounds of shortbread with the larger one. Transfer them onto the baking sheet. Press the smaller cutter on the disc but not all the way down. Just enough to print.

The BEST BIT now. 

Take a knitting needle and poke 4 little holes in the centre.

It's ok. If you have no knitting needle, use a skewer. Or a straw. 

Bake for 10-15minutes.

Sprinkle with a little caster sugar. Or edible glitter. Or both! 

Then munch with a nice cuppa and think up all sorts of creative ways to use them. 

With ice cream, alongside a chocolate mousse or fruit salad, in a little box as a gift ....