Spiced Solstice Shortbread
and Midwinter magic
A very quick hello from me today to wish you all a very happy Winter Solstice ahead of this weekend.
Your inbox is probably overwhelmed right now with end-of-year round ups and last-minute posting date reminders.
So instead of a long email from me, here’s a recipe for Spiced Solstice Shortbread. Consider it a festive gift!
It’s taken from my book The Solstice Yearbook which, (you guessed it!) is packed with rituals, crafts and folklore for celebrating this magical time of the year.
Hope you enjoy it. We’ll meet again on the 1st January when you’ll receive your peaceful January hibernation post. I also have some exciting news to share in the New Year.
But until then - put your feet up, pour yourself a festive drink, switch on all the Christmas tree lights and relax.
It’s been a long year; you’ve earned a rest.
Vicky
xx
(recipe below)
Spiced Solstice Shortbread
(Extract taken from The Solstice Yearbook, 2025.)
This is baked in a circular tin in the shape of a sun, flavoured with orange zest and warming spices, and topped with a dusting of sparkling sugar.
INGREDIENTS
• 115g (4oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 55g (2oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• Zest of 1 orange
• 180g (6oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1⁄2 tsp ground mixed spice (apple pie spice)
• Granulated sugar, for decoration
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/Gas 3 (325°F). Line a 22cm (81⁄2in) circular cake tin with baking (parchment) paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl.
3. Add the orange zest, sift in the flour and ground mixed spice (apple pie spice), and mix together until smooth.
4. Gently turn out the dough and press it into the cake tin, pushing the dough right to the edges and smoothing it out equally across the tin.
5. Use a knife to score the dough into triangle wedges, and prick the surface with a fork. (As well as adding decoration, this allows the steam to escape and prevents the shortbread from bubbling up while cooking.)
6. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until a very light golden colour.
7. Remove from the oven, re-score the lines, then sprinkle with a little granulated sugar and leave to cool in the tin.
*p.s. The shortbread photo in this post is a stock image, not one of mine. I ran out of time to take any photos of my own! But this is what your shortbread will look like if you use my recipe and a traditional mould. Enjoy.
Wishing you a wonderful festive holiday and wishing you good tidings for the Solstice 💕
Happy Solstice to you! Thanks for keeping me connected to the seasons.