Brown Sugar Shortbread

January needn’t be all austerity. A sweet treat now and then livens up any healthy eating plan; in fact I most crave sweet things when I’m trying to avoid them! These little shortbread cookies are ideal, you could almost convince yourself they’re a health food! 😉 The brown sugar ticks the avoid refined sugars box, shortbread is also less sweet than most baked goods ticking the worthy box and the fact they’re homemade ticks the avoid processed foods box. Perfect! By all means sprinkle the top with a little caster sugar to finish if you prefer not to use the roll out icing, but I just had to use my snowflake cutter before it got packed away in the Christmas box and they do look rather pretty!

Brown Sugar Shortbread (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)   makes about 20

• 225g plain flour
• 75g soft brown sugar
• 150g dairy-free spread
• 1/4 tsp salt

• Roll out icing or 1-2 tbsp caster sugar to finish

– Heat the oven to 160 degrees centigrade/Gas mark 3 – Line 2 baking sheets with parchment – Stir the sugar and salt into the flour – Rub in the spread with your fingertips (you need a light tough with shortbread) – Squeeze together to form a crumbly dough – Roll out and stamp out or cut out shapes – Place on the baking sheets – Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for a further 10 ( keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn) – Cool on a wire rack – If using caster sugar to decorate, sprinkle on whilst they’re still hot – If using roll out icing, wait until they’re cool and then attach it with a a paint of watery icing