Walnut Shortbreads

These light, crumbly little biscuits are just the thing to serve with home-made ice creams. They could also be packed into boxes or jars for a home-made Christmas gift.

Walnut Shortbread can also be made in advance and then frozen.

Method

The first thing you need to do is grind the walnuts, which you can do very carefully using the 'pulse' switch on a food processor (if this is overdone, the nuts go pasty and oily). Otherwise, a hand-held nut grinder will do the job.

To make the shortbread, place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream them together until pale and fluffy. Then mix the sifted flour and rice flour together and gradually work this into the creamed mixture, a tablespoonful at a time.

Next, add the ground walnuts and use your hands to form the mixture into a smooth dough. Leave the dough to rest in a plastic food bag in the fridge for 30 minutes, then roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to a round approximately 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter.

Now, using the 1¾ inch (4.5 cm) cutter, cut out approximately 20 rounds, re-rolling the trimmings. Place them on the lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Cool them for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. When completely cool, dust them with icing sugar and store in an airtight container.