Easter is just around the corner, and we thought we'd share our amazing most loved cookie recipe. Not only do they taste amazing, but they are also so easy to make. We love the decorating part, getting funky with royal icing!
Makes 28 cookies
Equipment: Set of Easter cutters and disposable piping bags.
Ingredients:
- 766g plain flour - sifted
- 5.3g salt
- 5.3g baking powder
- 301g unsalted butter - softened at room temperature
- 466g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 93g agave syrup (or substitute for granulated sugar if the weather is humid where you are)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp whole milk (or as needed)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius fan.
2. Sift the salt, flour and baking powder together in a bowl.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer (handheld, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the agave nectar and beat on low speed until well blended, about 1 minute more.
4. Add the vanilla and continue to beat on low speed until well blended.
5. Add one of the eggs and beat on low speed until well blended. Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl, add the second egg, and beat until well blended.
6. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed, stopping once to scrape the bowl, until they’re incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 15 seconds. Do not over-mix. The dough should be soft and somewhat sticky, but not so sticky that it’s difficult to handle. If the dough feels too soft, add flour until it stiffens up (2 tbsp. at a time)
7. If the dough is very dry and crumbly, add 2 to 3 tbsp of milk to soften it.
8. Split the dough into two pieces and refrigerate for one hour. Roll the dough to 0.5cm and chill the sheets for 30 minutes.
9. Cut out desired shapes and bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
11. Decorate with various colours of royal icing
Tips:
- For a plain cookie, omit the extract. Don’t be afraid to experiment with other flavours! Try a combination of almond extract and lemon zest for a twist on this recipe, or orange zest and cardamon.
- If you can’t find agave syrup, use honey instead. The flavour of the cookie will be affected slightly, but the texture will remain the same. In humid climates, replace the agave nectar with the same amount of granulated sugar.
Royal Icing is readily available to buy as a pre-mix, all you need to do is add water, simple as! This saves you loads of time! Check out our range of
colours!
Read our in-depth post on what
royal icing is and how to store it!
