Vanilla Cut Out Cookies

Every once in a while the need for a simple plain cookie is called for and these cookies fit the bill perfectly. They are very crisp with just the right amount of sweetness and a subtle flavour of vanilla.

The dough was great to work with. I thought at first there was too much flour, but a little kneading and it soon became a smooth soft dough. It needs to firm up in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling but I left mine in the fridge overnight and baked them the next morning for extra freshness.

The cookies keep there shape well when baking, meaning they are ideal for cutting into shapes for decorating. I posted these cookies off to my little cousin for his birthday along with a few tubes of coloured icing as I thought he would have fun decorating the cookies himself, so I only have pictures of the undecorated cookies.

Vanilla Cut Out Cookies
Recipe from Food Beam blog
Ingredients
185g butter
225g caster sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
350g plain flour
1 egg
1 egg yolk

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Make sure the butter is soft and cream it together with the sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat again.
Sift over the flour and then work the mixture into a dough using a wooden spoon and finally your hands to form a slightly sticky ball of dough.
Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until required.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough until around 5mm thick.
Cut out a variety of shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a 1-2cm gap between each one.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until just turning lightly golden brown.
Allow to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire wrack to cool.
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Decorate as you wish.
I got 40 cookies of various shapes and sizes.