Short, buttery and perfect with a cuppa, these fennel and lemon shortbread biscuits are not difficult to make. Once the dough is shaped and chilled, all you need do is slice and bake. The sweet mellow liquorice flavour of fennel seeds compliments the zesty flavor of lemon. Use a spice grinder or pestle and mortar to grind the fennel seeds into a fine powder for maximum freshness. And depending how thick you slice the un-cooked dough, the biscuits take about fifteen to seventeen minutes to bake in the oven. If you like, dust over a little icing sugar once the shortbread has cooled, then store in an airtight container. Sweet and simple.
Fennel and Lemon Shortbread Biscuits
(Makes 12 to 15)
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground to a fine powder
zest of 1 lemon
110g un-salted butter, softened
50g caster sugar
110g all-purpose flour
50g cornflour
icing sugar, for dusting over shortbread
How to make:
In a medium bowl, add fennel powder, lemon zest, butter and caster sugar. With an electric mixer, beat the ingredients together until pale and fluffy.
Sieve in the flour and cornflour and using the slowest speed, mix in the flours until almost combined.
With your hand, gather the dough together and form a ball. On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into a log. The size of the log depends on how big you want your shortbread biscuits, also this dough tends to spread a little when baking. Wrap the dough in cling film, keeping its shape. Leave in the fridge for about an hour and a half or until the dough is very firm.
Before baking, pre-heat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4.
Using a sharp knife, slice the dough (with cling film on) into approximately 1/4 inch thick (even a little less) rounds. Remove and discard the cling film from around the edges and place rounds about 3/4 inch apart on a non-stick baking tray or cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until pale gold in colour. Allow the shortbread to cool on the baking tray/cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring unto a wire cooling rack. When cool lightly dust with icing sugar. Store shortbread in an airtight container.
You also might like to try:
Shortbread with Vanilla Infused Sugar
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Hiya Moya, I need to make some biscuits. I will try these tomorrow. The inclusion of fennel seeds intrigues me.
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Hi Glenda, let me known what you and Maus think of the flavours. Always nice to have some biscuits around to enjoy with a cuppa 🙂
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Will do Moya
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Hey Moya, I made the biscuits. I quite like them. As I said to Maus, as you take the first mouthful you think of curry but then the sugar hits you. Neither the fennel nor the lemon is particularly strong. I was wondering whether it was even worth putting them in a container, they won’t last long. I think I made 20.
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Thank you for trying the recipe Glenda, both flavors are subtle and I guess you could add more if liked. Didn’t ever think of curry… but glad you enjoyed them anyways. Mine didn’t last long either 🙂
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