I’ve never really been much of a biscuit person, though occasionally I do get cravings for shortbread (I’m only human, after all). Recently I had one such craving and came up with this recipe, which I’m really pleased with: the lemon adds a gorgeous zing to these melt-in-the-mouth biscuits. With only four ingredients and a fast baking time, they’re great for whipping up in a hurry and devouring with a cup of tea.

Ingredients (makes about 24):
– 100g salted butter
– 275g plain flour
– 75g light muscovado sugar
– 1 large lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C, and grease and line a large baking tray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, use the tips of your fingers to rub together the flour and butter, until it resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Stir in the sugar and zest from the lemon, then add the juice of half the lemon. This should be enough to bring the mixture to a soft dough once it’s worked in.

4. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to about 5mm thick. Cut into shapes (the number of biscuits will depend on the size of your cutter: mine is 7.5cm) and place as many on the baking tray as will fit.

5. Prick each biscuit a few times with a fork and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until they’re just starting to turn a pale golden colour. Allow to cool while you bake the rest.