Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for butterscotch pots and almond shortbread | The sweet spot

When you’re in need of an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert, something chilled and custard-based is usually a good shout. And who doesn’t love butterscotch? You can always serve these pots with shop-bought biscuits for a fully no-bake dessert, but the nutty toastiness from the almonds in this shortbread recipe works so well with the buttery caramel notes of butterscotch.

Butterscotch pots

Prep 5 min
Cook 40 min, plus cooling
Chill 2 hr+
Makes 6

3 egg yolks
25g cornflour
400ml milk
120ml double cream
40g caster sugar
50g light brown sugar
A pinch of salt
20g unsalted butter
Creme fraiche, to serve
Ground cinnamon, to serve

For the almond shortbread
40g ground almonds
100g salted butter
50g caster sugar
120g plain flour

First, make the shortbread. Put the almonds in a small pan over a medium heat and toast, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool completely.

Cream the butter and sugar until creamy, then add the flour and almonds, and mix to get a thick dough.

Press the dough evenly into a 23cm x 16cm baking tin (or use a 20cm round tin). Prick the surface with a fork and bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden. Cut the shortbread in the tin while it’s still warm, then leave to cool completely.

To make the butterscotch pots, add the yolks and cornflour to a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Slowly pour in the milk and whisk until fully combined; set aside.

Gently warm the cream in a small pan, then set aside. Add both sugars to another pan with a tablespoon of water, bring to the boil without stirring, and let it bubble for a few minutes.

Slowly pour in the cream and give it a good whisk to bring it together. Add a pinch of salt, then remove from the heat and pour slowly, while stirring, into the egg and milk mixture.

Pour the lot back into the saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter until melted, and pour the custard into a bowl, covering the surface with clingfilm. Let it cool completely to room temperature before giving it a good whisk to remove any lumps.

Spoon the mixture into ramekins or small glasses and chill for a couple of hours. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche, some ground cinnamon and shortbread.