← Nouns Cooking · Bakery

Ingredients

• 225 g salted or unsalted butter, very soft
• 90 g Icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1½ tsp Vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt (skip if using salted butter)
• 260 g plain flour
• 2 tbsp coarse or pearl sugar, to sprinkle (optional)

Method

1. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Beat the very soft butter and icing sugar for 3 min until pale and fluffy, then beat in the egg yolk, vanilla and salt.
2. Add the flour and mix on low just until a soft, smooth dough forms; it should be soft enough to pipe.
3. Spoon into a strong piping bag fitted with a large open-star nozzle and pipe 5 cm rings, swirls and pretzel shapes onto the trays, 3 cm apart. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using.
4. Chill the trays for 20 min so the cookies keep their sharp ridges. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F).
5. Bake for 12–14 min until golden at the edges and pale in the centre. Cool on the trays for 5 min, then on a rack; they crisp as they cool.

Tips

• If the dough is too stiff to pipe, beat in 1–2 tsp milk; too soft and it loses its shape, so chill it for 10 minutes.
• Stored in an airtight tin they stay crisp for 2 weeks.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food King Arthur Baking Huang Kitchen