Cinnamon shortbread hearts

These cinnamon shortbread hearts are made with the classic 3:2:1 ratio of flour, butter and sugar. Egg yolks give them a lovely delicate, crumbly texture, while a coating of cinnamon sugar adds a delicious crunch and a wonderful aroma. They’re simple to make and look especially pretty cut into little hearts, although you can use any shapes you like :).

I baked mine on a perforated baking mat, which helps the biscuits bake evenly. If you have a second mat, you can place it on top of the biscuits to help them keep their shape as they bake. Don’t worry if you don’t have one, though – a regular baking tray lined with baking paper works just fine.

Example of a perforated baking mat:

Makes approximately 35 biscuits (depending on the size of your cutters).

Ingredients for the cinnamon shortbread hearts:

• 300 g plain flour
• 200 g cold butter, cut into cubes
• 100 g caster sugar
• 3 egg yolks from large eggs
• a pinch of salt

Sift the flour into a bowl, add the butter and quickly cut it in with a knife until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks, sugar and salt, then quickly bring the dough together. You can also use a food processor. Don’t knead it for too long, as this will help keep the biscuits crumbly. Shape the dough into a ball, flatten it slightly, wrap it in cling film and chill in the fridge for approximately 30-60 minutes.

Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of about 3 mm. Cut out heart shapes and arrange them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving a little space between each biscuit.

Bake at 180°C (with the fan) on for approximately 10-13 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. The baking time will depend on the size of the biscuits. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool slightly.

Ingredients for the cinnamon sugar:

• 100 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.

Coat the slightly cooled biscuits in the cinnamon sugar on both sides. You can coat them while they’re still very warm, but in my experience, the cinnamon sugar then becomes damp and the biscuits don’t look quite as good. It’s best to let them cool a little first.

Enjoy!