Recipes
Shortbread Stars with Orange Brandy Butter and Luxury Mincemeat
Buttery home-made shortbread is a splendid thing indeed, and never better than when it’s topped with zesty orange brandy butter...
Ingredients
For the shortbread stars
- 225g butter, at room temperature
- 110g caster sugar
- 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- ¼ tsp salt
For the brandy butter
- 100g butter, at room temperature
- 100g icing sugar
- A pinch mixed spice
- 1 zest of 1 orange, finely grated
- 1 tbsp brandy
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/Gas 4. Line 2 or 3 baking trays with baking parchment.
- First make the shortbread stars. Using a wooden spoon, beat the butter and caster sugar together until combined – the mixture doesn’t need to be light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and work in with the wooden spoon, then use your hand to bring the mixture together.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead for a few moments until smooth –avoid over-handling as this warms the dough. Roll out on a lightly floured surface and stamp out biscuits with a star-shaped cutter. Re-roll the dough trimmings, and stamp out more biscuits until you’ve used up all your dough.
- Place the biscuits on the prepared baking trays and bake for 15-18 minutes until pale golden brown. Cool on the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- While the shortbread stars are cooling, make the brandy butter. Beat the butter with the icing sugar, mixed spice and orange zest. Stir in the brandy, then cover and chill until ready to serve.
- To serve, top each biscuit with a little of the mincemeat and a spoonful of brandy butter.