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Valentine’s day is the perfect excuse to get baking with your mindees! This easy-to-follow shortbread recipe is ideal for making with children and then popping into a clear bag tied up with ribbon, ready to gift to parents, carers or grandparents. Not only is baking a fun (and deliciously rewarding!) activity, but it also teaches children a variety of skills, such as early maths when measuring out ingredients, safety awareness when using equipment or standing by the oven/hob, and hand eye coordination when rolling out dough and using shape cutters. So, why not get your aprons on and have a go!

Top Tips

• However the children choose to decorate their biscuits, they are sure to be delicious! Feel free to use any chocolate you like - milk, dark or white - and choose your own sprinkles.
• These can easily be made gluten free – just switch the plain flour for gluten free flour and add ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum.
• You can make the biscuits smaller or larger, just adjust the baking time accordingly.
• For easier dipping, use a container that is just slightly larger than the biscuit.
• The biscuits will keep for 2+ weeks when stored in an airtight container.
• As always, please ensure all children are fully supervised when baking.

Ingredients

For the shortbread:

• 200g unsalted butter
• 100g caster sugar (plus a little extra for dusting)
• 300g plain flour (plus a little extra for lightly flouring your work surface)

For the decoration:

• 150g milk chocolate
• 75g white chocolate
• Sprinkles

Method

Shortbread Biscuits

1. Add the butter and caster sugar to a bowl and beat together until pale, smooth, and fluffy.
2. Add the flour and mix until a soft dough forms, making sure everything is well combined.
3. Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1cm. Cut out your shortbread using your heart shaped cutter.
4. Carefully transfer the biscuits to a lined baking tray. Once all the dough has been cut, place the tray in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
5. While the biscuits are chilling, preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
6. Remove the chilled biscuits from the fridge and lightly sprinkle them with caster sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they are just starting to turn lightly golden.
7. Once baked, leave the shortbread to cool completely.

Decoration

1. Gently melt the milk and white chocolate separately. This can be done either in the microwave using a microwave-safe bowl, or by putting the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and placing it over the top of a saucepan filled with hot water – known as a bain-marie. Be careful not to allow any water into your bowl, as this will spoil your chocolate.
2. Dip half of each biscuit into the melted milk chocolate. Carefully drizzle the white chocolate over the top of the milk chocolate.
3. Finish with sprinkles if desired, then return the biscuits to the fridge until the chocolate has fully set.

Happy baking!