It really is that simple, I promise.
1-2-3 Butter Cookies
100g icing or castor sugar
200g butter, cold and cubed small
300g plain flour
- Preheat the oven at 130 Celsius. Line a baking tray or two with baking paper.
- With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar for 2 minutes.
- Fold in flour gently by hand until just incorporated.
- Chill dough for 15 - 20 minutes.
- Remove from refridgerator. Divide dough into two. Put one half back in to chill.
- Place the other half of dough between two plastic sheets and roll out about 4 - 5mm thick.
- Working quickly but surely, cut into your favourite shapes using a biscuit cutter. Place shapes on prepared baking tray.
- Once the first half of the dough is used up, take out the remaining half and do the same until all the dough is used up. (You may need 2 baking trays if your shapes are larger)
- Place tray in the oven and increase the temperature to 150 Celsius.
- Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes until the bottom edges start browning slightly.
- Remove from oven. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container.
Note:
- The actual recipe comes from a magazine cut-out which was given to me a long time ago. I cannot remember which magazine it came from as it was already cut-out when passed to me. If anyone of you knows where it is from, please let me know as I would like to give the magazine due credit. I have also adapted the method to suit my own style of mixing biscuit dough.
- I used icing sugar instead of castor for a finer texture.
- I used unsalted butter in this batch and missed the salt terribly. Lesson learnt. I will use salted butter next time, or add in 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Yes, I have two feet firmly planted in the I-like-using-salted-butter-to-bake-for-better-flavour camp.
- I made an orange-poppyseed flavoured biscuit with 1 tablespoon orange blossom water, 1 tablespoon poppyseeds and the grated zest of 1 orange.
- For a vanilla biscuit, add in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence or seeds scrapped from a vanilla pod at the creaming stage.
- This is a versatile dough. You can flavour it any way you like.
