Ingredients

• 280 grams plain flour
• 150 grams granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 170g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

Stage one - Prepare the ingredients
Take 3 bowls; in the biggest one add your butter and sugar
middle size gets flour, baking powder and salt (give it a little mix)
in the smallest one, crack your egg and add your extracts / flavours

Stage two - Mixing
Beat the butter and sugar together with a mixer (or by hand!) until combined ~ 90 seconds if using a mixer, make sure to scrape down any that gets stuck on the sides
Add the egg and extracts and mix again until combined
Add in the flour mix and combine slowly until a dough forms - it should be soft but not too sticky, check out the video for the right texture

Stage three - Chill
I like to split the dough in 2 balls, cover in clingfilm and pat into a disc shape
put your discs into the fridge, on a flat surface for at least 20 minutes
(clean up)

Stage four - rolling and cutting
Flour your rolling surface well, chuck some on your hands and rolling pin too
At this stage, preheat your oven to 180 degrees c 
Take one dough disc out the fridge and roll it out to a thickness of around 5mm
Take your Cutting About Cookie Cutters and cut as many as you can, transfer them to your baking tray
When you can't cut any more (or your baking tray is full) take the rest of the dough, turn it back into a disc and put it back into the fridge, it'll be too warm and sticky to re-roll immediately
When your baking tray is full up, put it in the fridge (yes, again) for around 5 minutes and then straight into the oven

Stage five - Baking
Once your tray is in the oven keep a close eye on it, this won't take long
Exact timings will depend on your dough thickness and shape, it will be at least 7 minutes, thin features will start to brown first
when you see browning around the entire edge of the cookie it's time to take them out (it's likley they'll get a bit darker from here)
Transfer them carefully to a wire rack and wait for them to cool, don't handle them too much when they're warm or they'll be misshapen

Tips 

• Do not overmix the dough once you add the flour
• Dough will last a few days in the fridge or months in the freezer (in clingflim)
• Cooked biscuits will last up to a week in an airtight container
  

Frequently Asked Questions

My dough is getting stuck in the cutter / on the worktop

Too sticky, add more flour or chill for longer to fix

My cut out shape won't release from the cutter

A common problem when using cutters with thin details. Use a blunt tool and press gently while holding the cutter just above the surface of your baking tray