Frollini shortbread biscuits

Frollini are Italian-style, usually round or shaped biscuits made from shortcrust pastry. They are often eaten at breakfast or with tea or coffee, and may be plain or flavoured with ingredients such as cocoa, lemon or hazelnuts.

Dip them briefly in coffee, tea or warm milk: their crumbly texture softens quickly. You can also serve them with yoghurt and fresh fruit.

Yes. Crush them finely, mix with melted butter and press the mixture firmly into a tin; chill it before adding the filling. Their buttery, sweet flavour works especially well with creamy or sharp fruit fillings.

Keep them in an airtight tin or container in a cool, dry cupboard, away from steam and strong-smelling foods. If they soften, spread them on a baking tray and warm them briefly in a low oven, then let them cool completely before sealing.

Yes. Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap it well and freeze it; thaw it in the fridge before rolling or shaping. You can also freeze shaped, unbaked biscuits and bake them from frozen, adding a few minutes to the usual baking time.

Use plain shortbread biscuits or another crisp, sweet biscuit, crushed to a fine crumb. Digestive biscuits are less buttery, so you may need a little more melted butter to make the crumbs hold together.

No. Frollini provide 1.9 g of fibre per 100 g, compared with 4.2 g in chocolate cookies with cereals.

They contain 7.2 g of protein per 100 g, but that is below the amount needed to call them a source of protein.