I read Claudia’s recipe for mulled wine today and I was immediately transported back to a stormy late autumn night on the Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland. I wondered how residents survived the horizontal rain and wind that penetrated the most hardy of souls. Reclining in a comfortable chair in front of a roaring fire, sipping mulled wine and eating home-made shortbread biscuits I think I understood how.

Ready

• 2oz caster (superfine) sugar
• 4oz soft butter
• 6oz plain flour

Set

• Large mixing bowl
• Large stirring implement (a mixer will do too!)
• Heat oven to 375°F

Go

1. Make sure your butter is not too fridge hard.
2. Beat it together with the sugar until you have a lovely pale color.
3. Stir in the flour to form a smooth paste.
4. Roll out the pastry until it is about a centimeter thick (½ inch).
5. Cut into your desired shape (a circle, a finger, whatever) and, if you like, sprinkle with a little more caster sugar.
6. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes.
7. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until pale golden.
8. Cool before eating (if you can manage it).

What you should know

This is as simple as it gets for shortbread. You can make dozens of variations on a theme, and I thoroughly expect to see much more sophisticated recipes than this at GreatGrub!

In case you hadn’t worked it out, the title refers to the weight ratio of the ingredients. It makes it easy to remember as well as cook!