TYPE OF BISCUIT RECIPES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, use an electric whisk to cream the butter with the sugar until well mixed and just creamy in texture. Do not overwork, or the biscuits will spread during baking.

  Beat in the egg until well combined. Add the flour and mix on a low speed until a dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 1 hour.

  Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead briefly, then roll out to 3mm thick. Cut, by hand or with cookie cutters, to your desired shape. Using a palette knife, transfer the biscuits to a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

  Bake for 12-14 minutes, depending on the size of your biscuits, until golden brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• Mix the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, then add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and briefly beat to combine.
• Sift over the flour and stir until the mixture is well combined – you might need to get your hands in at the end to give everything a really good mix and press the dough together.
• For basic vanilla biscuits: Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Chill the dough for 20 - 30minutes, roll out and cut out shapes as above. Bake on a non-stick baking tray for 10-12 minutes until pale golden. Carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool and crisp up.