Vanilla Sugar Cookies by Nielsen-Massey

Method

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and the vanilla bean paste and mix well. Sift in the flour and thoroughly mix to a dough. Split the dough in half.

3. Take two sheets of baking paper and lay one on your work surface. On top place one half of the cookie dough. Top with the second sheet of baking paper.

4. Roll out the dough, between the two sheets to approximately 4mm thick.

5. Place the rolled out dough, still in the baking parchment, in the fridge to chill for half an hour. Repeat with the second piece of cookie dough.

6. Preheat the oven to 160°C , 140°C fan, gas 4.

7. Once the dough is nicely chilled it will be much easier to cut out perfect cookies.

8. Cut out the cookies using your chosen cutter and place on a greased or lined baking sheet, chill again for a further 15 minutes or until they are completely hard again. The chilling stops the cookies from spreading and will help them keep their shape.

9. Keep re-rolling the scraps and chilling again between two sheets of baking paper until you have used up all the dough.

10. Bake in the oven for approximately 12 minutes until the cookies are golden brown on the edges. Baking times will vary depending on the size of cutter you are using, times here are based on a 2 1/2" cookie.

11. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes on the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.