Shortbread

In the 12th century Shortbread was originally made using left over bread dough which was sometimes sweetened and then dried out in the oven to form a dry, hard rusk. Over time the yeast was replaced by butter and Shortbread became an expensive fancy treat for celebrations such as weddings, Christmas and the New Year.

You can add any amount of lovely flavorings to the basic recipe: lemon, caraway seeds, fruit, nuts or chocolate. Maddi loves to make our Christmas Shortbread so today I'm sharing our family recipe:

Baking Shortbread is a Christmas Eve tradition for us, and after baking we all sit around the table and decorate them - it's always a fun and creative afternoon. Last year she simply dipped them in chocolate and it was a lovely addition which proved to be very popular:

She likes to package them and other cooked goodies in cellophane bags that are tied up with pretty ribbons ready to give to family, friends and neighbours. They are so yummy and very easy to make so add this Shortbread to your Christmas baking list and get the kids involved - especially the decorating part.

To download my Shortbread recipe simply click on the link or right click on the photo below and save to your computer for later.