I’ve have tried so many different recipes to find a sugar cookie which doesn’t spread when you cook it, keeps it shape and sharp ’just cut out’ edges which look totally professional when iced with either sugarpaste or royal icing and that taste good. Gave up and invented my own version.
I’ve found that they either look fantastic but don’t taste that great, a little cloying or lacking in ‘bite’ or they taste fantastic such as classic shortbread but tend to spread a little and don’t hold their edges.
This version doesn’t taste as good as classic shortbread, it’s a compromise, it will keep it’s shape and edges and taste far better than most sugar cookie recipes, have a go and see what you think. Butter gives a far better flavour than margarine, if you use margarine it will always be a little cloying. Semolina helps give it extra bite, if you don’t have any use plain flour but it won’t taste as good.
the recipe calls for the butter to be softened but not too soft. If the butter is at room temperature and lovely and soft the mixture will overcream too easily, so it’s best just to either use it straight from the fridge and cream in an electric mixer so you’re not beating it with a wooden spoon for ages, or take it out of the fridge 1 hour before you wish to use it so it’s starting to go soft but it’s not at the squidgy stage yet.
Ingredients for 12-16 cookies:
200g butter, softened a little but not too soft
200g caster sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
300 plain ‘oo’ flour (if you can’t get ‘oo’ use good quality plain flour)
100g semolina
1. Cream butter and sugar together until just creamy, be careful not to overcream as the cookies will spread. You DON’T want this to get to the stage when it drops off the end of the spoon easily as you would for cakes as it’s gone too far so watch it carefully.
2. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine, add flour and semolina, fold in until combined and formed into a dough.
3. Cover in clingfilm and refridgerate for 1 hour (I know this is a pain but it really does make a difference.
4. Remove from the fridge, roll out and cut to shapes. If it’s hot weather or you want your cookies to really keep their sharp edge then place the baking with the cookie shapes on it into the fridge for another hour before cooking them.
5. Bake on gas mark5/180oc for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. If using an Aga then baking oven as before or roasting oven, on first rung for 7-8 minutes, turning half way through.
6. Remove from the oven and leave on the tray to cool for an hour before moving to a cooling rack. These will freeze for 1 month or keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Written by Beverley Glock -
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