Rapidly disappearing biscuits

At the beginning of this week I made a batch of shortbread as a gift for a friend. I didn't count how many biscuits it made but I gift wrapped 20 of them and put the remaining ones, maybe 14, into a box for my husband and two little girls to enjoy. They love my shortbread. A while ago I read in a magazine that you could make melt in the mouth shortbread by substituting the cornflour for custard powder. I had custard powder in my cupboard because I use it when making trifles so I tried it and it really worked! I don't know why it should work because the ingredients of custard powder are cornflour, salt and natural colour and flavourings, pretty much the same as the usual ingredients in shortbread.

Anyway, when the girls got home from school they each had a shortbread and then in the evening my husband sat down in from of the TV with the box and ate 5. The next morning the girls discovered the box next to the sofa. First they were shocked that Daddy had eaten in the living room (strictly forbidden since we had a new carpet laid at Christmas!), and then they noticed the lack of biscuits left in the box. "Greedy Daddy!" they exclaimed. Not to worry, I reassured them, when they run out I can make some more. It was the day after this that I had to make some more. So after school yesterday afternoon I made another batch of shortbread whilst the girls played mummys in the living room with a box of baby dolls. This time I informed them that there were 36 biscuits so even if Daddy did eat 5 there should be plenty left. But they were not reassured and insisted that I divided the biscuits into two boxes, one for them and one for Daddy because they thought it highly likely that Daddy would probably eat 8! Daddy doesn't know how many he ate last night because he wasn't counting but I don't expect them to last beyond the weekend.

Melt in Your Mouth Shortbread

4 oz (110g) butter
2 oz (55g) caster sugar
4 oz (110g) plain flour
2oz (55g) custard powder

Preheat oven to 180°C (gas 4). Grease a baking tray. In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Sift over the flour and custard powder then use fingers to combine until it forms a soft dough ball. Roll out the dough and use pastry cutters to cut out biscuits. Place the biscuits on a baking tray and cook for 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a tray.