Christmas – What Jessica Baked Next

Buttery melt in the mouth shortbread biscuits. With just three ingredients, this moreish recipe is brilliant to make over Christmas, but is also great for a weekend treat!

There really is no other biscuit that quite compares to classic Scottish shortbread. With a rich and beautiful buttery flavour, shortbread is favourite for many people.

Every single Christmas we always have a box (or two or even maybe three!) of shortbread biscuits on hand ready to devour our way through. But for me homemade is definitely better so I thought it would be great to share my favourite shortbread recipe ready for your Christmas festivities. I’ve been making shortbread for years with my mum. My maternal side of the family hail from Dunblane in Scotland – it must be my Scottish roots that are the reason why I love making and eating shortbread as much as I do!

I’ve baked my shortbread in a Victoria sandwich cake tin. I love baking shortbread this way because you don’t need to roll out the dough and therefore will not risk overworking the dough. Once the shortbread is baked it’s important to cut it into eight wedges whilst still hot. This ensures you get nice, clean slices. The finishing touch is to sprinkle over caster (superfine) sugar just before serving.

If you want to do something different you could definitely use your favourite cookie cutters and cut out festive shaped biscuits. But do remember baking time will differ for smaller biscuits.

I’m a traditionalist when it comes to shortbread, I’ve never really been a fan of fancy flavour pairings, so that’s why I prefer to keep mine plain and simple. I sometimes add some chocolate chips to the dough or even dip the baked shortbread in melted chocolate for a little twist. But you could easily add any of your favourite flavours to the mix such as lemon or orange zest or even spices like cinnamon or ginger.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you will know my favourite recipes are those that are both easy and quick to prepare. It may surprise you that this shortbread recipe only requires 3 ingredients and you will have homemade shortbread ready in less than an hour. So if you’re like me and sometimes forget about Christmas presents, but only remember at the last minute, they would make a brilliant edible gift for your close ones.

(Makes 8 shortbread wedges)

Ingredients:

100g unsalted butter, softened

50g caster sugar

175g plain flour (all-purpose)

Method:

Preheat oven to 150°C / 130°C Fan / 300°F / Gas Mark 2. Lightly grease the base and sides of a 20cm/8 inch loose-bottomed cake tin. Set to one side.
Cream the softened butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. This will take approx. 5 minutes – so use an electric mixer if you own one.
Now add the flour and stir well until incorporated and a soft and slightly crumbly dough comes together.
Press the dough into the cake tin and smooth into an even, flat layer with the back of a spoon, you can also use your hands to do this. Crimp the edges, score (don’t cut right through) the shortbread into 8 triangular portions. Then prick each portion with three fork stamps. Bake for 40 minutes, until pale gold.
As soon as the shortbread has finished baking, cut into wedges and leave to cool completely in the tin. Once cool, sprinkle with caster sugar.

Recipe Notes:

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Cream for at least 5 minutes to achieve the perfect textured shortbread.
Once you’ve added the flour, make sure you stir until it’s just about blended. Over handling the dough will mean your shortbread will not be as light and short as it could be.

Keep up to date with me on:

Like my Facebook page here

Instagram: @whatjessicabakednext

Twitter: @jessbakednext

Pinterest: @jessbakednext

Chewy and fudgy chocolate orange cookies. An easy no chill cookie recipe oozing with chunks of gooey Terry’s chocolate orange!

These cookies are the some of the best cookies I’ve ever made! I know that’s a bold statement to make, but honestly these cookies are literally one of the best creations to come out of my kitchen. They’re exactly like a brownie and a cookie rolled into one and totally festive and scrumptious. Enjoy a plateful of these cookies with a glass of ice-cold milk or a scoop of your favourite ice cream and get ready to go to cookie heaven.

If you’re a fan of Terry’s chocolate orange, then you are going to absolutely love these cookies! The best thing about this cookie recipe is that you don’t need a mixer to make them and you won’t have to chill the dough before baking.

I have a SERIOUS addiction to Terry’s chocolate orange. It’s my favourite chocolate and even more so at this time of year. If you’re like me, you might also be interested in trying my no-bake Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cheesecake and these Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cupcakes! Two reader favourite recipes right there!

Crackly, soft and chewy pure deliciousness. Though, these cookies do come with a warning.

They’re beyond addictive.

Because the recipe makes a smaller batch of cookies, you’ll probably find yourself baking another batch as soon as the first disappears.

These cookies are sure to become one of your favourite go-to cookie recipes. I make these cookies every single Christmas without fail and they always go down a treat. They would also a great gift idea for your family or friends and are absolutely brilliant to serve at parties or just for a mid afternoon treat with a cup of coffee, tea or even a mug of hot chocolate.

Like I mentioned above, this recipe is super easy to make. There’s no need for chilling the dough, so you will have the very best (and most delicious) cookies on your kitchen table in no time at all! Homemade cookies in less than 30 minutes? Check! It doesn’t get better than that!

(Makes 9-10 large cookies)

Ingredients:

110g butter (salted or unsalted), softened

200g dark or light brown sugar – I prefer the flavour of light brown sugar

1 large free-range egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

165g plain flour

Pinch of salt – only add if using unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

30g cocoa powder

200g Terry’s chocolate orange, cut into small chunks or 200g of dark or milk (or a mix) chocolate chips/chunks + 1 teaspoon of orange zest

Method:

1. Preheat your to 190°C / 170°C Fan / 375°F / Gas Mark 5. Line 2-3 large baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.

2. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until incorporated.

3. Add the flour, pinch of salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder and mix until a dough comes together.

4. Finally, finish by adding the chocolate chunks/chips and mix in combine into the dough.

5. Divide the mixture into balls – I use an ice cream scoop for ease. Spread out evenly on the baking trays. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until spread out and with a crackled-top.

6. Once cooked, allow the cookies to cool on the trays for 5 minutes – in this time they will firm up and will become more easily transferable. After 5 minutes cooling, I like to press an extra Terry’s chocolate orange segment on the top of each cookie – this is optional. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool.

7. Once cooled, enjoy with a glass of ice-cold milk or served with a couple of scoops of your favourite ice cream!