Sugar Cookies

I thought it was about time to share my sugar cookie recipe. I love this recipe - it's so simple to make - and it always holds its shape after baking. Here are some of the cookies I have made using this recipe:

Ingredients

•  6 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method 
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and eggs, and mix gently but surely. You will probably find that the electric mixer struggles to combine all of the ingredients once the dry ingredients are added so you may have to mix it all together with a spoon. If you think the finished mixture is too sticky to be rolled out, add a little more flour, but do so sparingly as too much will make the dough tough and dry. Form dough into a fat disk and wrap it in plastic wrap, or put it in a plastic bag. Put it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to firm up a bit.  Preheat the oven to 175C (or 160C fanforced) while you are letting the dough rest.
 
Once the dough is ready to roll out, sprinkle a wooden board (or another surface you want to use) with flour, place dough on it, and roll it out to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. If you find that the dough sticks to the rolling pin, put a piece of plastic wrap or baking paper between the dough and the rolling pin. Cut dough into shapes using cookie cutters or a knife. Carefully lift cookies with a spatula onto baking trays lined with baking paper. Be sure to place the cookies a little apart on the trays as they may spread slightly during baking. Try to make sure that all the cookies on a tray are approximately the same size. Larger cookies take longer to bake than smaller ones.

Bake cookies for 8 to 12 minutes. You'll know when they are ready when the edges just start turning gold - don'[t worry if they are still soft in the middle, they will firm up as they cool. Transfer the cookies from the tray with a spatula to a wire rack. When they are fully cooled, decorate them with royal icing or sugarpaste.

Hope you all have fun making sugar cookies during the holiday season. Stay tuned for some of my cookie creations xx