Marguerite Patten's (OBE) Almond Shortbreads

As Jeans for Genes Day is a day of fun and frivolity, I felt people would like a recipe that could be prepared ahead.

1. 1

   *Note - instead of self raining flour, you could replace with plain flour with 1 level teaspoon of baking powder
   
   1- Preheat the oven to 160º /fan oven 140º to 150º /325º F or Gas Mark 3
   
   2- Cover two large flat baking sheets with baking parchment or lightly greased greaseproof paper.
   
   3- Put the butter, sugar and almond extract into a mixing bowl and beat until they are soft. There is no need to beat air into the mixture as you would a sponge. The easiest way to add the almond extract is to dip a skewer into the bottle and allow the required number of drops to fall into the bowl.
   
   4- Sift the flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture together with the ground almonds and mix together. If the mixture seems a little too soft, chill it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. If, on the other hand, it feels rather firm, gather it together with your fingers and knead it.
   
   5- Divide the dough into approximately 14-16 portions and roll into balls (the children will enjoy doing this!) Arrange on the prepared trays allowing plenty of space between the balls as they crack and spread during cooking.
   
   6- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are a very pale golden colour. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking trays then lift onto a wire cooling tray.
   When they're absolutely cold, put them in your container and enjoy!