Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 150g powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 350g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 500g powdered sugar (for royal icing)
• 2 egg whites (for royal icing)
• 4 food-colouring pastes, your choice of colours (for royal icing)

Tools

• Stand mixer with beater and whisk attachments
• Mixing bowls
• Rolling pin
• Food Scale
• 2 baking sheets, greased and lined with baking paper
• 5 small paper piping bags

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and powdered sugar in a stand mixer with the beater on medium for 3–5 minutes until pale and creamy, scraping the bowl.
2. Add the egg a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla paste.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together, then add to the mixer and blend just until a smooth dough forms. Flatten into a circle, wrap, and chill about 2 hours until firm.
4. Lightly flour the work surface. Roll out half the dough to about 2mm thick. Cut with cookies cutters,re-rolling trimmings to get about 30 cookies.
5. Chill the cookies 15 minutes. Heat oven to 340°F.
6. Bake in batches for 10–12 minutes until firm and lightly golden at the edges. Cool on the sheets a few minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely.
7. {"Make royal icing" => "sift powdered sugar into the mixer bowl with the whisk. On low speed add egg whites and 2 tablespoons water. Increase to medium and whisk 1–2 minutes until smooth and thick, adjusting water until it holds a firm ribbon."}
8. Divide icing into 5 bowls. Tint four bowls with different food colours (a little at a time); leave one bowl white.
9. {"Pipe" => "transfer 1–2 tablespoons of each colour to separate piping bags, seal, and snip fine tips. Cover remaining icing to prevent drying."}
10. Outline each cookie cutout with icing. Let dry about 30 minutes; store piping bags airtight in the meantime.
11. {"Flood" => "thin each bowl of icing to runny-honey consistency. Spoon into outlined cookies and spread to fill. Let set slightly, then pipe lines or dots with contrasting colours."}
12. Repeat for all cookies. Let icing set at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).