I wasn’t sure whether to mention Lockdown in this post but lets face it, it’s happening to all of us and there’s no getting away from how much our lives have changed recently. I’m very fortunate to be able to stay safe at home with my children while my husband, a key worker, goes out every day.
On a positive note it means I have time on my hands, I mean a LOT of time on my hands! I’m doing my best to home school the children in the morning – Joe Wicks PE followed by some actual learning (had anyone else heard of a conjunctive adverb? I’m slowly being educated by my daughter!) and then we do fun stuff, mostly baking and crafts in the afternoon.
One of our favourite recipes is for sugar cookies, did you know you can make them crunchy or soft with the addition of just a pinch of magic …cream of tartar. Every day’s a school day!
We love these cookies as they’re super quick to make, bake and cool, there’s not too much washing up and they can be decorated in lots of different ways (not all our efforts were photograph worthy….most got eaten before the toppings were dry!)
Assuming you can get hold of some plain flour (yep, the shelves are still bare in Tesco!) then give this a whirl and let me know what you think!
If you want to make them a bit fancy, add some lemon zest or a handful of chopped nuts or chocolate chips, they’re equally delicious as they are.
Happy baking! Love, Amber
- 200g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 280g Caster sugar
- 1/2 tspn vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 400g plain flour
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (add if you want soft, chewy cookies – leave it out if you like a crunchy biscuit!)
- Icing sugar to decorate
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees
- Put the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixer bowl and beat until light and fluffy
- Scrape the mixture away from the sides of the bowl and add the egg then beat well
- Scrape down the bowl again and add the flour, salt and cream of tartar (if using) Mix until it comes together into a soft dough
- Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and gently roll out the dough.
- Cut out using your favourite cutters
- *TOP TIP* Try to roll your dough the same thickness and use cutters of a similar size so they all bake evenly!
- Line a baking tray with grease proof paper and arrange your cookies leaving a few centimeters between them.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, thicker or very large cookies may take a few minutes longer.
- The cookies should be very light golden on the edges and pale in the center.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly on the tray before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely
- Decorate with royal icing, sprinkles or rolled fondant or just eat as they are!
