Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract
  • 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
  • 1 tsp (5g) baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp (2.5g) fine sea salt

Instructions:

  1. Stage 1: Mixing and Preparing the Dough. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light, pale, and fluffy (about 3–4 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  3. Add Wet Ingredients: Reduce speed to low. Beat in the room temperature egg until just combined, followed by the vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
  4. Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing only until just combined. Stop immediately when no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
  5. Shape and Chill: Divide the dough into two equal discs. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 90 minutes, or up to 2 days.
  6. Stage 2: Rolling and Cutting. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. Roll the Dough: Remove one disc of dough from the fridge. Lightly flour your work surface, or roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll to an even thickness (about 1/4 inch or 6 mm).
  8. Cut Shapes: Use your chosen cookie cutters to cut shapes. Transfer the cut-outs to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) space between them.
  9. Second Chill (Recommended): For maximum shape stability, place the baking sheets with the cut-outs into the freezer for 10 minutes before baking. (This is key to preventing spread.)
  10. Gather Scraps: Re-roll dough scraps quickly and chill them again if they become sticky.
  11. Stage 3: Baking and Cooling. Bake cookies one tray at a time for 8–12 minutes, depending on size and desired doneness.
  12. Check Doneness: Cookies are done when the edges are set and a very light, pale golden colour appears. The centre should still look soft.
  13. Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They must be completely cool before icing or decorating.