SUGAR COOKIES

This dough can be rolled and stored in the freezer for months . . . then you can get out a sheet of dough as needed. Simply allow it to soften slightly after removing from the freezer, then cut and bake it as normal. Follow the instructional here to ice them up magnificently.

TIMING

PREP 30 mins

CHILLING 15 mins

BAKING approx. 15 mins

INGREDIENTS

400 g (14 oz) plain flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

200 g (7 oz) butter, at room temperature

180 g (6½ oz) caster sugar

40 g (1½ oz) glucose syrup

1 whole egg

METHOD

Place the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl, mix together and set aside.

Put the butter, sugar and glucose syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy, scraping down the mixer bowl a couple of times to ensure that all the butter has been beaten in. Add the egg and beat well to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to your mixer bowl and mix on low until the mixture forms a soft dough. Do I need to remind you what happens if you don’t MIX ON LOW? The dry ingredients will erupt all over your kitchen!

Prepare four pieces of baking paper about the same size as your baking trays. Divide your dough into two. Roll out one half of the dough between two of the pieces of baking paper until about ½ cm (¼ in) thick. Try to roll the dough into a general rectangle shape. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Place on trays and put them in your fridge to chill for about 15 mins. You can chuck them in the freezer for a faster chill time (about 5 mins) if you’re impatient like me.

While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 160°C (315°F). Place a clean sheet of baking paper on your baking trays (you’ll probably need another two trays). Choose your cookie cutter—you can use whatever shape you want.

Take your cookie dough out of the fridge or freezer and peel off the top layer of baking paper. Push your cutter firmly onto the rolled-out dough until you are sure it has cut cleanly through the chilled dough, then remove the cutter and the cut dough and lay the dough shapes on your lined baking trays, spaced at least a finger-width apart. These don’t spread, so don’t stress if they seem close.

You can re-roll the off-cuts and repeat the chilling and cutting processes. Do NOT add any additional flour—rolling between the sheets of baking paper eliminates the need for ‘flouring’ to stop sticking.

When they’re all done, bake for about 15 mins, until light golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

FLAVOUR VARIATIONS