These vanilla biscuits are simple, cheerful cookies made for cutting into festive shapes and decorating. The dough comes together quickly, needs no chilling, and bakes into crisp-edged or tender, soft cookies depending on how thick you roll them. Perfect for holiday baking, decorating with icing or chocolate, or sharing with loved ones over tea.
Ingredients
- 225 g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (about 200 g) caster (or granulated) sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups (about 450 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- Optional: icing, chocolate, sprinkles or dusting sugar for decoration
Recipe Info
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: ~10 minutes per batch
- Total Time: ~35–45 minutes (depending on number of batches)
- Yield: roughly 40 cookies (depending on size)
- Cuisine: Western / Holiday Baking
- Course: Dessert / Snack
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until fully combined.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix just until the dough forms — it may look a little crumbly.
- Lightly flour your work surface. Divide dough if needed, and roll it out to your desired thickness: about 0.3 cm (for crispier cookies) or 0.6 cm (for softer, thicker cookies).
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, and transfer them carefully to the prepared baking sheets. Gather and re-roll scraps of dough as needed.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes — cookies should be pale golden, with edges just beginning to turn light golden.
- Let cookies cool completely on the trays, as they continue to set while cooling.
- If you like, decorate with icing, melted chocolate, sprinkles or a dusting of sugar once cool.
Tips & Variations
- For crispier cookies, roll dough thinner (about 0.3 cm). For soft, thicker cookies, roll to ~0.6 cm.
- If dough becomes too sticky while rolling, dust with a little more flour — but avoid over-flouring or dough may dry out.
- Feel free to decorate: use royal icing, melted chocolate, colored sprinkles or a light dusting of powdered sugar.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container — they stay fresh for several days, making them great for gifting or baking ahead.
Approximate Nutrition (per cookie — assuming ~40 cookies)
- Calories: ~95 kcal
- Carbohydrates: ~13 g
- Fat: ~5 g
- Protein: ~1 g
- Sugars: ~7–8 g
- Sodium: ~60–70 mg
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until fully combined.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix just until the dough forms — it may look a little crumbly.
- Lightly flour your work surface. Divide dough if needed, and roll it out to your desired thickness: about 0.3 cm (for crispier cookies) or 0.6 cm (for softer, thicker cookies).
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, and transfer them carefully to the prepared baking sheets. Gather and re-roll scraps of dough as needed.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes — cookies should be pale golden, with edges just beginning to turn light golden.
- Let cookies cool completely on the trays, as they continue to set while cooling.
- If you like, decorate with icing, melted chocolate, sprinkles or a dusting of sugar once cool.
Notes
- Carbohydrates: ~13 g
- Fat: ~5 g
- Protein: ~1 g
- Sugars: ~7–8 g
- Sodium: ~60–70 mg
FAQs
Do I need to chill the dough before rolling?
No — this recipe is designed so you can roll and cut immediately after mixing.
Why do the cookies keep their shaped edges?
Because of the right balance of flour, butter and sugar, the dough doesn’t spread much when baked, so the cut-out shapes stay sharp.
How thick should I roll the dough?
For crisp cookies roll thin (~0.3 cm). For soft, cake-like cookies roll thicker (~0.6 cm).
Can I decorate them?
Yes — once completely cooled, you can ice, dip, dust with sugar or add sprinkles as you like.
