Blackberry Fool with Homemade Shortbread Recipe

If you’ve got some leftover blackberries in the fridge and fancy making an easy dessert recipe that will really impress your guests, why not try this delicious blackberry fool and shortbread idea?

Using only a few ingredients, this dessert recipe takes hardly any prep and the end result is a really special treat. The sharpness of the fool and crunchiness of the shortbread makes a really satisfying pairing that you won’t forget in a hurry.

This recipe serves up to eight people so it’s a great one to try if you’re feeding a crowd.

HOW TO MAKE BLACKBERRY FOOL WITH SHORTBREAD

Ingredients

for the shortbread

• 175g (6oz) soft butter
• 75g (3oz) caster sugar
• 175g (6oz) plain flour
• 75g (3oz) rice flour

for the fool

• 400g (14oz) blackberries, plus a few to decorate
• 2tbsp icing sugar
• 400ml (14fl oz) double cream, lightly whipped

you will need

• 20cm (8in) fluted loose-based tart tin, lightly oiled

Method

1. Heat the oven to 150 C, 130 C fan, 300 F, gas 2. Work the shortbread ingredients together with a wooden spoon and then finish it off with your hands to form a dough. Press it into the tart tin and prick all over with a fork or it will rise, then bake for 1 hour. While it is still warm, mark it into 12 slices, cool in the tin then cut with a serrated knife.

2. To make the fool, place the blackberries and sugar in a saucepan with 2tbsp water and cook over a low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until they lose their raw sharpness. Mash with a potato masher, leave to cool then stir into the cream. Chill for 30 minutes before spooning into glasses or bowls, topping with blackberries and serving with the shortbread.