Parmesan Shortbread as Gifts

Our answer

Nigella's Parmesan Shortbreads (from Nigellissima and on the Nigella website) are at their best if eaten within 5 days of baking and stored in an airtight container. They turn softer as they are kept and as they contain egg they do not keep quite as well as a traditional sweet shortbread.

If you want to make the shorbreads as a gift you could freeze the dough and just bake them at the last minute. You can wrap the cylinders of dough in a double layer of clingfilm and a layer of foil and then freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge then cut and bake. Alternatively slice the dough and freeze the discs on parchment-lined baking sheets. Once the discs are solid, transfer the shortbreads to resealable bags. Bake direct from frozen, the baking time is the same as for the chilled dough.