Pistachio and Rosewater Shortbread

Want to impress on Valentine's Day? Why not try these easy-to-bake biscuits to show you really care. From the kind people at the Olive Tree Cookery School.

Makes around 40 biscuits

INGREDIENTS

30g chopped pistachios
2 dessert spoons of rosewater
100g caster sugar
200g unsalted butter
300g Veru Truly Sicilian semolina flour
Pinch of salt
Egg white for glazing
Extra chopped pistachio for decoration

Baking time: 10 minutes using a fan oven

METHOD

Mix the sugar and butter together. Add the remaining ingredients to the butter and sugar to make a compact dough.

If using cold butter, the dough should be ready to roll, if not, cover the dough in clingfilm & put it in the refrigerator to chill before rolling.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Divide the dough into small batches and roll out one batch at a time.

Roll the dough approximately 5mm thick and cut into heart shapes. Place the hearts on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and put them in the oven.

Bake for 8 minutes. Remove the biscuits, brush them with a little bit of egg white and sprinkle them with chopped pistachios.

Bake for a further 2 minutes or until pale golden. Once cool they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

February 2011