Lemon & Cardamom Shortbread Rounds

I made these for Easter, and discovered they're so simple to whip together, and great to have on hand for unexpected guests.

The icing here is optional, as the biscuits are sweet enough on their own, but icing allows for some creative decorating to suit the season, and makes them extra zesty.

The finished biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you have some leftover dough, freeze the uncooked rounds on a tray, then wrap them tightly in cling film and foil, before returning them to the freezer for up to 3 months.

You can then cook them from frozen – it's a great way of enjoying freshly baked shortbread at a moment’s notice!

SERVES:
approx 18 rounds

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

150g plain flour

40g rice flour

40g ground almonds

40g icing sugar

2 tsp ground cardamom

Good pinch sea salt

Wet ingredients

150g cold vegan butter, chopped into 2cm cubes

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract or bean paste

Splash of almond milk, if needed.

For the icing

200g icing sugar

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

Splash of almond milk

For the decoration

Rose petals

Handful pistachios, chopped

Instructions

Add all the dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse quickly to combine.
Add the butter, lemon zest, vanilla and maple syrup, and pulse again to combine. The mixture should hold together when pinched – if it's too dry, add a little almond milk.
To mix by hand, stir together the dry ingredients then and add the chopped butter, lemon zest, vanilla and maple syrup. Rub the wet ingredients into the dry with your fingertips until combined, adding a little almond milk as needed.
Empty the dough onto a very lightly floured surface, then bring it together into a ball, handling it as little as possible.
Roll the dough into a rough log around 8cm in diameter. Wrap in greaseproof paper, and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes, and up to overnight.
When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/Gas 5, and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Cut your chilled dough into 1cm-thick rounds, and lay them on your prepared tray, leaving a bit of room between them. Bake for 10-12 minutes, checking after 10 minutes, until just cooked – they shouldn't take on much colour at all.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile, sieve the icing sugar into a small bowl, and add the lemon juice and milk a little at a time until you get the right consistency – it should be quite stiff, but settle out flat on spooning.
When the biscuits have cooled, add 1-2 tsp of icing to each, and sprinkle over your rose petals and chopped pistachios before it sets.