Raspberry and hazelnut shortbreads....
The shortbread can be made in advance and then served on the night. Generously filled with vanilla flavoured whipped cream and fresh raspberries these make a dainty dessert. The biscuits are also great served with yogurt or ice cream.
Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
For the shortbread:
- 100 g (4 oz) hazelnuts
- 175 g (6 oz) plain flour
- 50 g (2 oz) caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 150 g (5 oz) butter, diced
For the filling:
- 200 ml (7 fl oz) double cream
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar, plus little extra to decorate
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 300 g (11 oz) raspberries
Method:
- Toast the hazelnuts under the grill until lightly browned, roughly chop 25 g (1 oz) of the nuts and reserve for the top.
- Finely chop the remainder then leave to cool.
- Put the flour into a bowl, add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and butter and rub the butter in with fingertips until it resembles fine crumbs.
- Stir in the finely chopped hazelnuts then squeeze the crumbs together with fingertips until they form a ball. Knead lightly then roll out on a lightly floured surface and cut twelve, 7.5 cm (3 inch) hearts with a biscuit cutter, re-rolling and trimming as needed.
- Put shortbread hearts on to ungreased baking sheets and cook at 160°C / 325°F / Gas mark 3 for about 15 minutes until pale golden.
- Leave to cool on the baking sheets.
- When you’re almost ready to serve, whip the cream, icing sugar and vanilla until it forms soft swirls.
- Crumble in half the raspberries then spoon the cream over 6 biscuits, keeping a little back for the tops. Press a biscuit on the top of each then decorate with the remaining cream, the whole raspberries and a sprinkling of the roughly chopped nuts.
- Transfer to serving plates and dust with a little sifted icing sugar
There will be loads of Spring berries from Spain around for Valentine’s ....
Guest Post Credits- Seasonal Berries
