Sugar Cakes

Heart shaped cookie, - Sugar Cakes design
Sugar Cakes Sugar Cookie/favours recipe

250 g unsalted butter
250 g superfine castor sugar
1- 2 medium eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
500 gram all purpose flour
(plus extra for dusting)

Cookies are great fun to make - great for getting

children involved and are suitable for any occasion.

Method:

In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and quite fluffy.

Add the eggs and vanilla essence and mix until they are well combined.

Sift the flour, add to the bowl and mix until all the ingredients just come together. You may need to do this is two stages - do not over-mix.

Tip the dough into a container lined with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and press down firmly.  Cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

On a work surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out the cookie dough to about 4mm thick.  Sprinkle a little extra flour on top of the dough as you roll to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin.

Tip:  Be careful not too add too much flour when you are rolling out your dough, as it will become too dry.

Cut out your shapes either with cutters or using templates and a sharp knife.  Place on baking trays lined with greaseproof (wax) paper or baking parchment and return to the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 180C for about 10 - 12 minutes. Gas mark 4 for about 10 minutes - depending on their size.

Leave them to cool completely.

Finish them off with royal icing sugar art or plastic icing sugar art.

Flavours:

Chocolate - Substitute 30 g flour with unsweetened cocoa powder
Citrus - Add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon or orange.
Recipe from Cake Decorating at Home - Zoe Clark

Recipe shared ........with love - Sugar Cakes