Old school butter biscuits
A great base recipe to use for a mixed biscuit selection - these are the ideal soft, buttery, melt in your mouth biscuit! I love making these for Lunar New Year gifts (and guests). You can make and freeze ahead and bake on demand too. One recipe, so many possibilities!
Recipe adapted from Cloudy Kitchen.
Ingredients
200g unsalted butter, room temperature
70g icing sugar (sifted if lumpy)
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour
30g cornflour
1tbs cream or milk
Optional: for matcha or chocolate biscuits - 10g matcha powder or cocoa
Optional toppings
Roasted nuts of choice
Jam of choice
Dried fruit of choice (e.g. cranberries, raisins, glace cherries)
METHOD
Cream the butter, icing sugar, salt and vanilla in a large bowl using the paddle attachment of a hand or stand mixer until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl a few times to ensure well combined.
Sift the flour, cornflour and matcha/cocoa if using into the butter mixture, and fold gently on low speed until flour is nearly absorbed.
Add the milk/cream and mix on low until a soft dough forms.
Place mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle (or an open round nozzle for the snake shape).
Pipe the cookies on a parchment lined baking tray into rosettes, stars, or snakes. Keep the shapes tight as they will spread a little when baking. Place into freezer for at least one hour (up to 3 months!) until ready to bake.
Preheat the oven to 150C fan forced. Place frozen biscuit shapes on to trays, spacing well between biscuits. If using any additional toppings (nuts or fruit or jam), place these onto the biscuits just before baking)
Bake for 16-18 minutes until set and lightly golden brown (rotate trays halfway through baking for even browning). Check the bottom of the biscuits, which should be dry and lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minuts before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate as you wish - dip in chocolate, drizzle with your favourite icing, dust with icing sugar, or leave plain.
Store butter cookies in airtight container at room temp for a week or so.
