An easy, creamy dessert than even a baking novice can whip up. Possets use the acidity from the lemons to set them, so there's no need for any gelatine. This recipe makes more shortbread than you’ll need to serve the possets, but it keeps well for future nibbling, see our tips.
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Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr
Total Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Cal/Serv:
826
Ingredients
For the possets
3
lemons, plus extra pared zest, to serve
600ml
double cream
175g
caster sugar
For the shortbread
2Tbsp.
loose-leaf Earl Grey Tea
200g
unsalted butter, softened
100g
caster sugar, plus 11/2tbsp
200g
plain flour
100g
cornflour
To decorate, optional
Dried cornflowers
Pared lemon zest
Directions
Step 1For the possets, finely grate the zest of the lemons and juice enough to get 75ml juice. In a medium pan heat the cream and sugar over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Pour into 6 x 150ml glasses or ramekins. Cool and chill for at least 2hr (up to 24hr), until set.
Step 2Meanwhile, make the shortbread. Using a pestle and mortar (or a small spice grinder), grind the tea to a fine powder. Line a 20.5cm square tin with 2 long stripes of baking parchment, in a cross shape, making sure the parchment comes above the edges of the tin.
Step 3In a large bowl using a handheld electric whisk, beat the butter and 100g sugar until combined. Sift in both flours and add the tea. Beat until just combined. Tip into the lined tin and press to level with the back of a spoon.
Step 4Prick all over with a fork, then score deeply with a sharp knife into 16 rectangles. Chill for 20min, until firm.
Step 5Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan) mark 3. Firmly press the cornflowers, if using, into the scored shortbread fingers. Bake for 50-55min, or until golden. Remove from the oven and cut into fingers along the scored lines, then sprinkle liberally with the 11/2tbsp sugar. Leave to cool for 10min in the tin. Using the parchment paper, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 6To serve, sprinkle the lemon zest over the possets, if using, and serve with shortbread fingers.
Make possets up to a day ahead. Cover and chill. Make shortbread up to a week ahead. Once cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
Alice Shields is Senior Cookery Writer for Good Housekeeping. A trained pastry chef, you’ll find her food styling on photo shoots, developing delicious recipes and writing about all things food. She loves to bake and her favourite pudding will always be a chocolate fondant. Originally hailing from Lancashire, she finally achieved her goal of getting a butter pie recipe into the magazine.
