Baking - Mincemeat and Almond Shortbread

adapted from Rachel’s Favourite Food for Friends by Rachel Allen

Makes 32 squares

This is lovely at Christmastime with a cup of tea or coffee or to give as a gift.

125 g caster sugar

250 g butter, softened

250 g flour (or 375 g flour if you don’t want to use ground almonds)

125 g ground almonds

300 g mincemeat

icing sugar, to dust

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Cream the butter in a bowl with a mixer, then add the caster sugar, flour and almonds and bring it all together with your hands. (Alternatively, put the caster sugar, butter, flour and ground almonds in a food processor and whizz until everything just comes together.)

Divide the dough in two. Shape one half into a flat round and place it in the freezer while you work (don’t get distracted by something else and forget it’s in there!), then press the other half into a 23 x 33 cm Swiss roll tin. Thinly spread the mincemeat over the shortbread base, making sure to cover it all. Take the remaining dough out of the freezer and place it between two sheets of cling film. Roll it out into a rectangle the same size as the tin. Peel off one layer of cling film and place the rolled out shortbread on top of the mincemeat, cling film side up. Smooth out the dough and cut off any excess dough from around the edges. Peel off the cling film.

Bake the shortbread in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until it’s pale golden brown and cooked through. Place on a wire rack and let it cool fully before dusting with icing sugar and cutting and removing the shortbread.