Rosemary Shortbread

When the lavender in the garden was in full bloom last year I made some lavender & lemon shortbread. I loved its delicate floral taste. It wasn't to my husband's taste however, who declared it to be like eating soap. I suppose it's hard to break the mental link between the scent of lavender and bath products. Anyway, all the more shortbread for me!  There's not much growing in my garden at this time of year that I can use to make our usual plain shortbread a little more exciting. Nothing, that is, except the valiant rosemary which has looked healthy all winter. So I decided on a twist from the lavender and lemon and made rosemary and lemon shortbread which turned out to be entirely delicious (even if my husband still only wants the taste of butter in his shortbread). If you'd like to try the lavender version, just substitute it for the rosemary in the recipe below (and put all thoughts of your great aunt Maude's soap out of your head)

The shortbread recipe I use isn't like the traditional thick Scottish shortbread. I much prefer this version which is light and delicate and melts in your mouth.




Makes about 24

175g softened unsalted butter
90g caster sugar (and a little to sprinkle on top)
pinch of salt
2 medium sized egg yolks
200g plain white flour
1 tablespoon very finely chopped rosemary
grated zest of one lemon


In a food mixer (with the paddle beater attachment on) cream the butter and sugar together until very pale. Add the egg yolks, salt, lemon zest and rosemary. Beat for another minute then fold in the flour to make a soft dough. Flour a work surface and shape the dough into a wide flat disk. Wrap it in clingfilm and put in the fridge to firm up for about an hour. You can't cheat & skip this bit or it'll just fall apart.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/GM4. Unwrap and roll out the dough on a floured surface until it's about 3mm thick. Use a 6mm pastry cutter & stamp out as many as you can (should be about 24). Carefully transfer them using a wide knife to a non-stick baking sheet, or one that you've lined with baking parchment.


Bake for just 7-10 minutes until the edges are just starting to go golden but the middles are still pale. They will still be soft - don't panic...they firm up! Sprinkle a little more sugar on top of the still hot shortbread. Leave on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. 

Cupcakes and Winter Disasters

The continuing unusually cold winter weather and our creaky old house have conspired together this week to elevate my stress levels. Frozen diesel in the car and a burst water pipe have been expensive, messy and time consuming. At times like these, I comfort bake. Nothing relaxes me more than baking cakes and cookies. Perhaps it’s all the methodical weighing and measuring that helps soothe the worried mind. This has resulted in a flurry of sweet creations in my kitchen this week.


Raspberry and Pomegranite Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

325g plain flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. fine salt

300g caster sugar

125ml rapeseed oil

2 eggs

375ml whole milk

2 tbsp. mashed fresh raspberries



For the icing:

120g unsalted butter, softened

300g mascarpone cheese

160g icing sugar

1 vanilla pod

A few fresh raspberries and pomegranate seeds for decoration




Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C/Gas mark 3. Line a cupcake tin with 18 cupcake liners (or 2 and a bit tins if, like me, your tins have 12 holes)

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add these sifted dry ingredients to the bowl of a an electric mixer (hooray for my KichenAid Artisan!) Using a paddle attachment mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Slowly add the oil to the mixture until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Add the eggs, milk, and squashed raspberries and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is getting evenly mixed, then turn up to a medium speed and mix for another 2 minutes.

Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full with the mixture and bake until cooked through (about 15-20 minutes) Cool on a wire rack before icing. They must be completely cool before you ice them.

Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and add to the soft butter. Cream the butter until light and fluffy in an electric mixer using a paddle attachment. Add the mascarpone and mix. Don’t over work the mascarpone mixture otherwise it may separate. Sift the icing sugar over the mascarpone mixture and gently fold it in. Put the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes to set, then spread on top of each cupcake and add the fresh raspberries and pomegranate seeds on top. These need to be refrigerated and eaten fairly quickly because of the marscapone icing.

Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full with the mixture and bake until cooked through (about 15-20 minutes) Cool on a wire rack before icing. They must be completely cool before you ice them.