Strawberry Shortbreads

This recipe is perfect for a sophisticated afternoon tea or dinner party pudding, as you can bake the biscuits ahead of time and then simply layer the shortbreads with strawberries, fresh cream and vanilla to serve.

1. To make the shortbread dough, butter and line a baking tray with parchment. Cream the butter and the sugar together in a bowl till light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and then flour, a little at a time, and incorporate until the dough is smooth.
2. Using a little extra flour knead the dough on a flat surface and then roll to a thickness just under 1cm using a rolling pin. Cut the shortbread dough out with a 5cm. cookie cutter. Place the shortbread biscuit on some baking parchment. Clingfilm the tray and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C. Take the tray out of the fridge and prick each of the shortbread biscuit rounds with a fork. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes till the biscuits are golden. Cool on a wire rack.
4. Whip the double cream till stiff then fold in the icing sugar and the vanilla. Use the whipped cream to sandwich the shortbread biscuits and layer the strawberries on top of the cream.