This new and improved version of an old classic is not so much a shortbread, as a slice, but the broken pieces are rich and buttery.

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 1 cup whole unblanched almonds
• 100 grams butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon almond essence

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Grease and line a standard 20cm x 30cm Swiss roll tin with baking paper.
2. Put the flour, caster sugar and almonds into a food processor. Pulse to coarsely chop the almonds and mix ingredients together.
3. Pulse the melted butter and almond essence down the feed tube as fast as the dry ingredients can absorb it.
4. Once all the butter and essence has been added, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs in texture.
5. Press the mixture into the prepared tin.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the shortbread begins to brown.
7. Cool in the tin. Break into odd-shaped pieces to serve. Store in an airtight container.

Cooks Tips

1 cup whole almonds is approximately 90-100 grams. Variation: - Use ½ cup pistachio nuts in place of the almonds and add the grated rind of 1 lemon.