Simple tips for superb baking… by Anna Montali
How to make easy cookie dough
Make sure you are never short of quick baked treats by keeping cookie dough in your freezer. Beat 250g butter at room temperature together with 130g castor sugar untillight and fluffy. Add 10ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract and 1 large egg and mix to combine. Gently mix in 340g cake flour and work until you have a smooth dough.
Freezing cookie dough
Roll the dough into a cylinder shape and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to two months. When ready to use, allow it to defrost to room temperature.
Different ways to use cookie dough
- Once at room temperature, slice the dough and lay out on a lightly floured, clean work surface and roll each
- slice between two sheets of baking paper to your desired thickness. Cut out shapes using a cooking cutter.
- Line small moulds with the dough, bake and cool, then fill with custard and top with fresh sliced fruit.
- Sandwich two baked shapes together using jam and sprinkle with icing sugar.
Baking the dough
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lay the shapes on a bakingtray lined with baking paper and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a rack.
- If you like, brush the cookies with lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar before baking.
