Santa Butter Cookies

I'm in the middle of my Christmas baking and I've been dying to use a 3D Santa shaped cookie cutter I bought a few months ago but I needed a cookie dough that stays really stable when it's baked.  After a bit of experimenting, I think I've got the perfect buttery crunchy biscuit that anybody would love to receive as a Christmas gift..  Don't fret if you haven't got a fancy schmancy cutter like mine - cut out circles or use any cutter that you have - it's how they taste that's most important and this makes delicious cookies.

Santa Butter Cookies

100g Butter
100g Caster Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
200g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

Preheat your oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4 and line some cookie sheets with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla.  Add the flour, baking powder & salt to the mixture and mix gently until it forms a ball of dough.

Sprinkle your work surface with flour & roll out the dough - I'd suggest dipping your cutter into the flour as well to stop it sticking - and place the shapes on the baking sheet.

Bake for 8-14 minutes - depending on the size - until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked underneath (if the middle seems a bit doughy, bake for another 1-2 minutes).

Remove from the oven, cool for 5 minutes on the sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.  You can be as elegant or as festive as you like...

• 
  
•