Valentine Shortbread

Not strictly a canapé, but very quick and a bit of fun for Valentine’s Day. As with all these recipes, they will keep (for at least a week in an airtight tin), so they can easily be made in advance for a Valentine’s surprise. There are many recipes for shortbread, below is the one I use. Heart shaped cutters are available from Amazon.

Ingredients

175gms good quality unsalted butter

225gms plain flour

60gms caster sugar

1tsp vanilla essence

pinch of salt

Method

Cut butter into cubes and beat with the sugar until smooth.

Add vanilla essence, flour and a pinch of salt and fold in. When well mixed, roll out to approximately 0.5cm thick and start cutting out the hearts. This mixture will make many of these little ones, so perhaps cut some larger hearts or other shapes as well.

Place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Cook at 180c (160c fan) until slightly golden – mine took 5-6 minutes, but they need watching.

Sprinkle with caster sugar and give them to your loved one (or eat them yourself – they are delicious with a cup of coffee).