200g soft butter
200g – 1 cup sugar
1 large egg
420g – 3 cups all purpose flour
5ml vanilla essence
As a baker of many years I highly recommend investing in a scale. It will make your life much easier and it is so much more accurate than measuring ingredients with cups. I have given you both methods for measuring.
Preheat your oven to 180 C or 350 F
In a mixer with a paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar with your chosen flavor until just creamy.
Do not whip for too long or the cookies will not hold their shape when they are baked.
Beat in the egg until well combined.
Add the flour, and mix on low speed until a dough forms.
Gather the pieces into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for an hour
Place the dough on a floured surface and knead very briefly.
Roll out the dough to an even thickness. Make sure that the dough has an even thickness.
I use rolling guides that are about 5 – 7mm thick (it’s up to you how thick you want the cookie to be).
Line your baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes. And place them on a cookie sheet.
Gather up the scraps and roll out again. Cut the cookies really close to prevent excessive gathering and re-rolling of your dough. the more you re-roll your dough the chewier the cookie becomes.
Bake for about 8 – 12 minutes. If you bake your cookies very blond they may still be soft, for a crisp cookie you will bake your cookies a bit longer and edges will become a bit darker.
Let them cool on a wire rack before you move onto decorating or storing. Store your cookies in an air tight container for 4 weeks or for a fresher cookie you may freeze your cookies. When freezing it is best to place parchment paper between the layers of cookies.
This dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months. After this time the dough will become darker and the taste will deteriorate. If you are using frozen dough it is best to remove the dough from the fridge the night before. do not allow your cookie dough to become to soft as the butter will start leaking out and this will affect the taste, shape and appearance of your cookies.