Shortbread pastry biscuit

Chill the shaped dough for about 20 minutes before baking, and use a cool, ungreased baking tray. Bake at 160–170 °C until the edges are just turning golden; shortbread should stay pale rather than brown.

Cool them completely, then keep them in an airtight tin in a cool, dry cupboard. Separate different flavours with baking paper, and avoid the fridge, where moisture can soften them.

Before baking, prick the dough with a fork in neat rows; this is called docking and helps steam escape. For fingers, score the dough into long rectangles and prick each one, but wait until they are baked to cut all the way through.

Shortbread is a classic partner for tea or coffee, and its buttery sweetness also works with sharp fruit such as raspberries or stewed rhubarb. Crumble it over ice cream or use it as a base for a cheesecake-style dessert.

Yes. Crush the shortbread finely and mix it with melted butter, using a little less butter than you would for a drier biscuit because shortbread is already rich. Press it firmly into the tin and chill before adding the filling.

Shortbread is usually richer in butter and more crumbly, while many butter biscuits are sweeter and have a firmer snap. Per 100 g, this shortbread has 23 g of fat; a butter biscuit has 14 g.

Traditional shortbread contains wheat flour and butter, so it contains gluten and milk. Recipes and packaged biscuits can differ, so check the ingredients if you need to avoid either.

It is best not to give shortbread to dogs: it is a rich, sugary treat, and some recipes contain chocolate or other ingredients that are unsafe for them. Keep biscuits out of reach and offer a dog-appropriate treat instead.