Spruce Tip Shortbread

Ingredients:

325g plain flour
200g chilled butter
125g golden caster sugar
4 tbsp spruce tips, washed and very finely chopped
2 large egg yolks

Method:

Sift the flour into a bowl, cube the butter and add to the flour. Rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and spruce tips then stir to combine thoroughly. Meanwhile beat together the egg yolks in a bowl before adding to the flour mixture. Mix to a dough then turn onto a lightly-floured surface.

Lightly dust two sheets of wax paper with icing sugar. Roll out one-third of the dough between the two sheets until it is 1.5 to 2 cm thick. Shape and cut dough (for professional results use a fan cutter with fluted edges) otherwise slice into fingers with a knife. Place the individual segments on greaseproof paper then prick them several times with a fine-tined fork so that it goes all the way through (then repeat on the remaining dough). Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C (320°F/Gas Mark 3) for 5 minutes, then at 150°C (300°F/Gas Mark 2) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Note: Baked shortbread should be light in colour, not browned at all — just a trifle tan on the bottom, so it pays to watch the shortbreads carefully during the last few minutes of cooking. They are a perfect snack with tea or coffee.