To Be Frank Melt-In-Your Mouth Buttery Shortbread

Name: To Be Frank Melt-In-Your Mouth Buttery Shortbread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 16-18 biscuits (or one base for the Pistachio Cheesecake)
Ingredients: 225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature; 90 g icing sugar, sifted; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 200 g plain flour; 60 g cornflour; 2 g fine sea salt (small pinch); 1 tbsp demerara or raw sugar, for coating (optional)

These simple, buttery biscuits are proof that the best things in life need very few ingredients. A little patience with the butter, a short rest in the fridge, and a slow oven are all it takes. They're wonderful on their own, brilliant with tea, and also double as the base for the Basque Pistachio Cheesecake.

Prep Time: 15 minutes 20-30 minutes chilling time

Cook Time: 20-22 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 16-18 biscuits (or one base for the Pistachio Cheesecake)

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Method

Note

Multi-use recipe: serve as individual biscuits or use as the base of the Basque Pistachio Cheesecake
Baking temperature:
Celsius: 155 °C fan oven (170 °C conventional oven / gas mark 3)

1

Read through the full recipe, including the tips below before starting. We like our biscuit to crumble, not fall apart half-way through.
2

Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 155 °C fan / 170 °C conventional. Low and slow is the secret here — it gives the biscuits their melt-in-the-mouth texture without colouring too much on top.
3

Cream the butter. Fit Ooni Halo Core with the Angled Silicone-Edge Beater attachment. Beat 225 g unsalted butter at 50-60% (5-6 fully lit segments on dial) speed for 3–4 minutes, until very pale and fluffy. Don't skip this step — the air you're beating in right now is what makes the final biscuit so light.
4

Add the sugar and vanilla. Lower speed to 40% speed (4 fully lit segments on the dial) and add 90g icing sugar, a spoonful at a time, beating as you go. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix until everything is smooth and creamy.
5

Add the flours. Add 200g plain flour, 60g cornflour and a pinch of salt all at once and mix at 10% (1 fully lit segment on the dial) until the dough just comes together. Stop as soon as you can't see any more dry flour — overmixing will make the biscuitss tough.
6

Shape and chill. Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough out to about 1 cm thickness. Cut into rectangles of roughly 6×3 cm. If using demerara sugar to coat, lightly toss each piece in now. Place on a lined baking tray with a little space between each biscuit. Refrigerate for 20–30 minutes — this helps them hold their shape in the oven.
7

Move tray to oven. Bake for 20–22 minutes until pale golden and completely firm in the middle. They will still feel slightly soft when hot — that's fine. They firm up as they cool.
8

Cool and enjoy. Leave to cool completely on the tray before moving. They'll firm up to that perfect crumbly texture as they cool — resist the urge to eat them straight away (or don't, we won't judge).
9
Tips
- Room temperature butter is key. Cold butter won't cream properly. If you've forgotten to take it out, cut it into small cubes and leave for 20–30 minutes before starting.
- Cornflour is the secret. The combination of plain flour and cornflour gives these biscuits an extra-fine, melt in your mouth crumb.
- Don't doubt the temp. 155°C feels low, but it's what gives these biscuits their pale golden colour and delicate snap. A hotter oven will brown them too fast.
- They keep well. Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 1 week. They taste even better on day 2 once the butter has settled.
- Using these as a cheesecake base? Bake them fully, cool completely, then blitz in the mixer until you have fine crumbs. Mix with a little melted butter and press into your springform tin.