Now that The Great British Bake Off has finally returned to our screens, the UK has once again gone baking mad. Let’s be honest, we really needed to move on from the banana bread craze. This craze has also coincided with the start of term, so if you’re looking for a way to impress your new housemates, baking is a great place to start. Whether you’re a seasoned baker, or a beginner just starting out, you really can’t go wrong with this recipe (yes, really). Whilst I wouldn’t bet my life on it, I’m pretty sure that these would get you a Paul Hollywood handshake.

“If you’re looking for a way to impress your new housemates, baking is a great place to start”

When it’s dark, cold, and rainy outside, shortbread is the ultimate comfort food. Crumbly and buttery with a hint of chocolate, they are also perfect when dipped in a cup of tea (Yorkshire, of course). If you’re not from the UK, then trust me when I say that shortbread is a must-try, along with fish and chips, Marmite, and a Sunday roast. Getting creative in a student kitchen can be tricky, but this recipe has few ingredients, and you really don’t need a lot of equipment. These biscuits can also be made in under an hour, so go on, grab your new flatmates, and get baking!

Ingredients: 

• 250g plain flour (plus a little extra for dusting)
• 75g caster sugar (plus a little extra to sprinkle on top)
• 175g butter, cubed (hard butter that comes in a block, not spread)
• 75g milk chocolate chips
• 75g white chocolate chips

“When it’s dark, cold, and rainy outside, shortbread is the ultimate comfort food.”

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/180 fan/Gas Mark 4.
2. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
3. In a bowl, or a big pan if you don’t have one, mix together the flour and sugar.
4. Add in the butter, and then use your fingers (wash your hands first!) to work the mixture until it becomes breadcrumb-like.
5. Add the chocolate chips and mix them in.
6. Use your hands to combine the mixture and make it dough-like (this works best if your hands are a bit warm). The mixture will stay quite crumbly, but it should come together if you squeeze it a little.
7. Dust the (clean!) worktop with flour, roll out your dough to around 1.5cm thickness, and cut it into whatever shapes you choose – I find rectangles work best. If you don’t have a cutter, use a knife to create the shapes.
8. Add the cut-outs to the lined trays leaving space between them, as they will expand a bit in the oven.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until they are golden brown.
10. Take the biscuits from the oven and leave them on the tray for a couple of minutes.
11. Sprinkle the warm biscuits with some caster sugar before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. The biscuits will be quite soft straight from the oven, so be careful in this step.
12. Pop the kettle on, and enjoy one of these while they’re still slightly warm.

Happy baking!