I love the crumbliness of shortbread, the slight sweetness of the cherries and the chocolate hit these cookies have.

This recipe will make between 14-16 cookies

You will need:

• 125g Butter
• 80g Caster Sugar
• 120g Plain Flour
• 30g Cocoa Powder
• 30g Corn flour
• 100g Glace Cherries or Dried Cherries
• 100g Dark chocolate chopped or chocolate chips

Method:

• Beat the butter to soften in a stand mixer or hand held mixer.
• Mix in the sugar.
• Add the corn flour, cocoa powder and plain flour, you don’t want to over mix so just before the flour has been completely incorporated add the cherries and chocolate pieces. I found the best way to achieve an even distribution of the cherries and chocolate is by hand.  An electric mixer can break up the cherries and chocolate to much resulting in tiny fragments and not chunks.
• Roll into a sausage shape about 6cm in diameter, take time to get this as even as possible, cover in cling film and chill for about an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 170degrees and grease and line two baking trays.
• Once chilled remove from the plastic and carefully cut slices of about 1cm. If any ‘coin shaped’ slices have crumbled gently pat them back into shape. You are aiming to cut 14-16 slices.
• Arrange the cookie dough slices on the trays and cook for 10-15 minutes. Check after 10 minutes and turn if necessary to achieve an even bake.
• Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack, gently remove from the grease proof paper once cooled (the shortbread cookies will be very delicate and difficult to move when still warm).
• These will keep in an air tight container for a couple of days, but I think, as ever, they are best eaten on the day of cooking.