Hey guys,

I have a great seasonal holiday recipe to share with you this week!

Buttery, crumbly, melt in your mouth shortbread biscuits, sandwiched together with sweet buttercream and slightly tart, homemade, strawberry jam. ❤

It was the first time I’d made shortbread so I opted for the traditional 3:2:1 ratio of flour, butter and sugar respectively, which worked like a charm.

A perfect holiday treat to have on standby and also a great edible gift for loved ones. =]

Oh – and bonus points because it’s made using homemade jam too! (Ofc, you can switch it out for shop bought, but I promise it’s simple and easy to make your own.)

Aren’t they just the prettiest?!

^ Was clearly a challenge not to eat one as I was photographing… 😂

🍓⭐🍪

I also reckon this would make for perfect family baking, especially with little ones.

Delicious!

Enjoy,

-Kay

Ingredients

Biscuits

• 300g plain flour
• 200g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 100g golden caster sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 medium egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Jam (You can definitely half this jam recipe. But I always make extra and keep it in the fridge for toast/cake/whatever for the weeks ahead).

• 500g strawberries
• 350g jam sugar
• 1 tsp lemon

Buttercream

• 100g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 150g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Extras

• Icing sugar to dust (optional)

Instructions

Assembly

1. Make the jam ahead of time, you can do it the day before and store in sterilised jars.
2. The next day, make the biscuits and cool on a wire rack.
3. While cooling, make the buttercream.
4. To assemble, pipe a star-shaped border (you don’t need a tip, just snip a small hole) on the edges of the bottom star before adding a teaspoon of jam, use a skewer/toothpick to spread out evenly, keeping it within the buttercream border.
5. Top with upper biscuit layer.
6. Before serving, dust with icing sugar.

Jam

1. Chop the strawberries into small cubes before placing in a saucepan. Place on a low heat on the hob and cook down till they release their juices and start breaking down. Depending on the consistency you want, you can also mush them up with a potato masher at this point.
2. Add the jam sugar and stir to combine, allow to bubble and cook further for another 5-6 minutes.
3. You can test if it’s done by placing a teaspoon of the mixture to a plate then refrigerating for 1min. If it wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it will set perfectly.
4. Once done, take off the heat and add the lemon juice. Stir through before pouring into small jars.

Biscuits

1. Add the butter and flour to a large bowl and using your thumb, index and middle fingers, rub together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add sugar and mix with a spoon till properly combined.
3. Add yolks and vanilla extract and knead together the dough until it just comes together. It’ll be firm, crumbly and slightly sticky.
4. Place the dough on a sheet of clingfilm, cover with another sheet then using a rolling pin, roll into a flat, rectangular shape.
5. Ensure the dough is properly covered with clingfilm before popping in the fridge for 30mins.
6. Remove the clingfilm. Working quickly, flour the surface generously and roll till 1cm thick.
7. Cut out star shapes (don’t forget the shapes for the top and bottom of your sandwiches!) and place on a baking paper lined tray. Repeat till you’ve used up all of your dough.
8. Place the tray in the fridge and chill for 20mins.
9. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to Gas Mark 4.
10. Once chilled, place biscuits straight into the oven and bake for 10 mins until slightly golden.

Buttercream

1. Add the butter to a medium sized bowl and whisk on medium speed for a couple of minutes until pale, light and fluffy.
2. Add half the icing sugar and whisk again for a few minutes until properly combined.
3. Add the remaining sugar and vanilla extract before whisking again for 2-3 minutes. Buttercream should be fluffy, light and pale.