Butter Cut-Out Cookies
by Nigella. Featured in HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESSIntroduction
It’s not hard to make biscuits that hold their shape well while cooking; it’s not hard to make biscuits that taste good and have a melting, buttery texture: what’s hard is to find a biscuit that does all of these things together. This one does it all, and with ease.
Like all doughs, it freezes well, so it makes sense — in a smug, domestic kind of a way — to wrap half of this in clingfilm and stash it in the deep freeze until next needed. It’s hard to specify exactly how much icing you’ll need, but you might end up using more than specified below if you’re using a lot of different colours.
As my children grew up, I always cut out the newly acquired age of each child on his or her birthday. My children couldn’t have contemplated a birthday party without them, and nor could I. Since then, I have found them deliciously invaluable to say and celebrate anything I've needed them to. Truly, an indispensable recipe.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list
It’s not hard to make biscuits that hold their shape well while cooking; it’s not hard to make biscuits that taste good and have a melting, buttery texture: what’s hard is to find a biscuit that does all of these things together. This one does it all, and with ease.
Like all doughs, it freezes well, so it makes sense — in a smug, domestic kind of a way — to wrap half of this in clingfilm and stash it in the deep freeze until next needed. It’s hard to specify exactly how much icing you’ll need, but you might end up using more than specified below if you’re using a lot of different colours.
As my children grew up, I always cut out the newly acquired age of each child on his or her birthday. My children couldn’t have contemplated a birthday party without them, and nor could I. Since then, I have found them deliciously invaluable to say and celebrate anything I've needed them to. Truly, an indispensable recipe.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list
Ingredients
Makes: 50-60 cookies
- 175 grams soft unsalted butter
- 200 grams caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 400 grams plain flour - preferably Italian 00 (plus more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 300 grams icing sugar (sieved)
- food colouring
- 1¼ sticks soft unsalted butter
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour - preferably Italian 00 (plus more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar (sieved)
- food colouring
Method
You will need biscuit cutters and two baking sheets, greased or lined.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and moving towards moussiness, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and eggs, and mix gently but surely. If you think the finished mixture is too sticky to be rolled out, add more flour, but do so sparingly as too much will make the dough tough. Halve the dough, form into fat discs, wrap each half in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- When you are ready to make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 180ºC/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF.
- Sprinkle a suitable surface with flour, place a disc of dough on it (not taking out the other half until you’ve finished with the first) and sprinkle a little more flour on top of that. Then roll it out to a thickness of about ½ cm / ¼ inch. Cut into shapes, dipping the cutter into flour as you go, and place the biscuits a little apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 8–12 minutes, by which time they will be lightly golden around the edges. Cool on a rack and continue with the rest of the dough. When they’re all fully cooled, you can get on with the icing. Put a couple of tablespoons of just-not-boiling water into a large bowl, add the sieved icing sugar and mix together, adding more water as you need to form a thick paste. Colour as desired: let the artistic spirit within you speak, remembering with gratitude that children have very bad taste.
You will need biscuit cutters and two baking sheets, greased or lined.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and moving towards moussiness, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and eggs, and mix gently but surely. If you think the finished mixture is too sticky to be rolled out, add more flour, but do so sparingly as too much will make the dough tough. Halve the dough, form into fat discs, wrap each half in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- When you are ready to make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 180ºC/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF.
- Sprinkle a suitable surface with flour, place a disc of dough on it (not taking out the other half until you’ve finished with the first) and sprinkle a little more flour on top of that. Then roll it out to a thickness of about ½ cm / ¼ inch. Cut into shapes, dipping the cutter into flour as you go, and place the biscuits a little apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 8–12 minutes, by which time they will be lightly golden around the edges. Cool on a rack and continue with the rest of the dough. When they’re all fully cooled, you can get on with the icing. Put a couple of tablespoons of just-not-boiling water into a large bowl, add the sieved confectioners' sugar and mix together, adding more water as you need to form a thick paste. Colour as desired: let the artistic spirit within you speak, remembering with gratitude that children have very bad taste.
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Show more commentsI made these for my son's first birthday party and used space-themed cookie cutters and stamps! They were absolutely perfect and people thought they came out of a bought package. I will definitely keep this recipe for future reference! Thanks Nigella!
We love making these biscuits. I add some cinnamon and nutmeg to the dry ingredients and they taste even more delicious. But everyone else is right they are easy to make and hold their shape. Fantastic.
This has got to be the best cookie recipe I have ever used!! I had two rather expensive decorative rolling pins and needed a recipe that would be firm enough to hold the design. These are a hit! Not only do they work well at holding their shape they taste amazing. Crunchy shortbread. I made the entire recipe which made loads so I froze some in batches of 10. They came out perfect - you’d never know they’d been frozen. These are going to make great gifts for all my friends and family. Thank Nigella!!
What a great recipe. Taste great and simple to make. The kids had a blast. Loved it! Thank you!
These are great, easy and delicious. They worked really well as cut out cookies with embossing.
What a find. Taste on a par with the enjoyment the children get from making them. A keeper. Thank you!
Delicious biscuits, probably the best plain butter cookies I have ever made. My family enjoys them a lot and they are astoundingly easy to make.
I've made these ones a several time. These are amazing. The best ones and never a fail!
For me, these are the best butter cut out biscuits I've ever made. Melty texture and a lovely vanilla flavour. They definitely hold the shape.
Made two batches of these biscuits. Yummy!