Shortbread Buttons
An original recipe by Not Quite Nigella
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200g unsalted best quality butter, at room temperature
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1/2 cup caster sugar
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1 1/3 cups plain flour
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3/4 cup rice flour
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tiny pinch of salt
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50g milk or dark chocolate
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silver cachous
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small sugar flowers
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cookie cutters in various shapes and sizes plus a skewer or a chopstick
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Line two baking trays with parchment and get your cutters and a skewer or chopstick ready. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Step 2 - In another bowl, mix both flours together with salt until combined and then fold into butter and sugar mixture. You may need to knead it slightly so that it comes together. Roll out the dough on lightly floured surface and roll it out so that it is about 4mms thick. Cut out shapes and gently lift them onto the parchment with an angled spatula or something similar. These do not spread much so you don't need huge gaps between them. Poke "button holes" with chopstick or skewer and make patterns. Take a bottle lid which is slightly smaller than the cutter and gently press down to make an imprint.
Step 3 - Bake at 190c/375F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160c/315F for a further 10-15 minutes until pale golden (10 minutes for the smaller biscuits). As they are delicate, wait until they are completely cool before removing them from the tray.
Step 4 - Melt chocolate in microwave and using a small spoon spread chocolate in a circle in some of the biscuits. you can decorate these how you like so you can use whatever decorations you have to hand. I made "button holes" using silver cachous (nonpareils) and also used small sugar flowers. Leave to set. Store in airtight container.