Millionaire Malt Mysore Pak Shortbread by Antony Amourdoux

Method

1. For the Pistachio Shortbread.

   Pre-heat the oven on to 175° c fan and prepare two large biscuit trays with baking parchment

2. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl -Flour, Corn Flour, Baking Powder, Icing Sugar and Pistachios

3. Into a mixer carefully tip the dry ingredients and the orange zest, cut the cold butter into small knobs to help with the mixing. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated, and the mixture looks like breadcrumbs

4. Add the milk with a tablespoon at a time to make a firm dough, wrap in a cling film and rest the dough in the fridge~10 mins roll the dough out and cut them in the desired shapes

5. Line and grease a 9inch square tin, roll the shortbread dough to approx the same size as the base of the tin and gently cover the base of the lined tin with the dough. Bake for 15- 18 minutes

6. For the Mysore Pak

   In a heavy based non-stick saucepan roast on low flame. Roast until the besan turns aromatic without burning

7. Sieve the roasted besan making sure there are no lumps and add in the Horlicks/malt powder

8. Add 200g of ghee and whisk make sure there are no lumps. Keep aside

9. In a large saucepan mix the sugar and water, stir and dissolve sugar on medium heat. Boil for 2 mins or until sugar syrup attains one string consistency

10. Add in besan mixture stirring continuously, stir until the mixture is well absorbed with besan mixture

11. Add the rest of the ghee in batches (~4 batches) and mix until the ghee is completely absorbed.

12. Repeat adding ghee and mix until the mixture starts to separate from the pan and turns frothy (takes. 10 mins)

13. Transfer the cooked mixture on to the baked shortbread, level up and leave this to completely cool in the tray and cut little diamond shapes. Decorate as your inner artist leads you, I kept it authentic with the edible gold leaf.