A shortbread brings back so many childhood memories of summers spent in London, afternoon teas and running in Hyde Park. One night, as I sipped on the Calming Brew from our sister brand, Nature Therapy, I thought how good chocolate and lavender pair together and I wonder if I could add this to my hot cocoa? And as all good thoughts lead to biscuits, I veered towards the shortbread – a house favourite, especially with my mother.
So, I use a classic shortbread biscuit recipe, add some cocoa, a bit of milk and finely pounded Calming Brew – a beautiful blend of chamomile and lavender – both pairing with the nuances of chocolate just perfectly. The texture of a shortbread is that it crumbles upon bite, there is less hassle in the finesse of baking it and literally brings out the best in the warm cup of tea!
The Recipe
Serves
Ingredients
- 230 g flour
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 160 g butter, soft
- 90 g sugar
- pinch of vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp Calming Brew from Nature Therapy
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Place the brew into a mortar and pestle and pound to a fine powder
- In a bowl stir the dry ingredients together well
- Add the butter and vanilla and combine to make a dough, adding milk at the end only to form the dough.
- Pres the dough into the pie or cake tin, making a thickness of 1.5 cm
- Chill the dough for at least 15 to 20 minutes
- Score the dough into desired thickness of rectangles and prick holes on top with a toothpick or fork.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 160C
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing
