A little bit of love

It’s Valentine’s Day, a day for romance, champagne and…cookies.  There was another of our bake sales at work today, where people bake and money gets raised for local charities.  My contribution this month was some little heart shaped shortbread biscuits (cookies if you would rather).

I spotted these Lemon Thyme Shortbread Cookies over at the always wonderful Love and Lemons, and decided they would be just the thing.  The recipe is in American cups, so I have translated it for those of us who use grams.

Preheat the oven to 180C and line baking sheets with greaseproof paper.

Cream 133g of softened butter with an electric mixer.  Add 100g caster sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add the zest of a medium lemon, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon fresh, finely chopped thyme, enjoying the good smell as you chop, and mix again.  Add 160g plain flour and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir until all combined, but don’t over mix.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and flatten into a 2.5cm disk. If the dough is sticky, wrap and chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm but still pliable.  Roll the dough out onto to a floured surface until about 6mm thick.  Use whatever cookie cutters you like, hearts are of course obligatory for Valentine’s Day.  Transfer to the baking sheets (I needed two and baked them in two batches) for between 10 and 14 minutes depending on your oven or until the edges are lightly browned.  When cooked, transfer the biscuits to cool on a wire rack.  Enjoy with a good cup of tea.