Passionfruit Iced Shortbread

Outstanding Food Producer Awards recipe guru Kathy Paterson has shared one of her favourite autumn recipes. She promises that shortbread keeps well if not iced, saying she usually makes enough icing to ice half of the biscuits at a time. Passionfruit icing elevates the biscuits, making the shortbread a little special.

Shortbread - makes 36 biscuits

250g butter softened

225g (2 cups) plain flour

115g (1 cup) cornflour

115g (1 cup) icing sugar

1 tablespoon custard powder

pulp of 2 large passionfruit (1/4 cup pulp)

Icing (makes enough to ice half of the shortbread)

½ cup icing sugar

pulp of 1 large passionfruit

15g butter, softened

Heat the oven to 160C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Beat the butter until well creamed. Sift together the flour, cornflour, icing sugar and custard powder, then sift again into the butter. Mix, adding the passionfruit pulp just before totally combined.

Turn out onto a lightly floured bench and bring together in a ball. Cut in half and roll each half into a log (cylinder), about 2.5cm in width. Use lightly floured hands if the mixture is a little sticky. Cut into 2cm slices and place on the prepared trays. Press a little to flatten and prick shortbread with a fork.

Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes rotating the trays halfway through cooking. The shortbread will be light beige in colour.

Remove from the oven and transfer shortbread to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the icing, sift icing sugar into a small bowl. Add softened butter and the passionfruit pulp and stir to combine. Spread icing over half of the shortbread and allow to set.

Tip – if the unbaked mixture is too sticky, chill in the fridge to firm the butter a little.