Butter Cut-Out Cookies

My youngest is doing her Confectioner's badge for her Girl Guides. One of the tasks is to do icings on cookies (biscuits). I took this opportunity to blog about this very simple recipe I found on the internet that I've been forgetting to post for the last 3 years!

I was trying to find a butter cookie recipe with the least amount of ingredients to make for my kids at the time. This recipe I adapted from the about.com website was the simplest but probably the most mouth-meltingly delicious butter cookie we've ever baked. It's got a very similar taste to those buttery, crumbly French sable breton that we were able to sample from my food-blogging friend Shalimar.

Anyway, my daughter was very much hands-on in the baking and especially in the decorating. She rolled the dough ...

Did her very first cookie decorations with royal icing ...

And finally the finished products ...

Best of all, her fellow Guides loved them a lot !



Butter Cut-Out Cookies

188 g  [3/4 cup] butter - softened
95 g  [3/4 cup] icing sugar
1 egg yolk
250 g  [2 cups] all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

1. Beat butter and icing sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
2. Add in egg yolk and vanilla (if using) and mix until well combined.
3. Tip in the flour and using a spoon, mix well with the butter mixture until you can form into a ball. If the dough is too soft, wrap in cling film or plastic bag and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until firm enough to be rolled.
4. Preheat oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F degrees.
5. Roll on a floured surface (or in between baking paper and cling film) to a even thickness of about 1/8 inch.
6. Cut out or roll into shapes, arrange in a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
7. Let cool in the baking tray for about 5 minutes then move onto racks to cool completely.
8. If desired, decorate with icing, coloured sugars, or sprinkles.