These butter cookies are based on Annabel Langbein’s Cookie Sampler recipe. I previously made a three flavour sampler and this time used the same basic recipe with some different twists.
The beauty of Annabel’s recipe is that has no egg and uses condensed milk as well as sugar. The resulting dough is easy to shape, freezes well and the cookies keep for a couple of weeks. The cooked biscuits freeze well too.
Here are the links to Annabel’s recipe and my previous cookie sampler:
http://www.annabel-langbein.com/annabel/blog/one-clever-cookie/
https://thequirkandthecool.com/2013/08/14/cookie-sampler/
Basic Recipe
Ingredients
250 gms butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
A few drops of vanilla extract
21/4 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Flavourings of your choice (see below)
Method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper.
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, then stir in the flour and baking powder.
To make Cookie Sampler, divide dough into 3 portions. Mix flavourings (see below) into each portion.
Chill mixture for 15 minutes. Roll into walnut-sized balls, place on baking trays and flatten slightly. Decorate according to instructions for different flavourings. Bake until lightly golden and set (about 15- 20 minutes).
Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the tray then transfer to a rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container or jar.
Caramel Cookies
Mix in a couple of tablespoons of dulce de leche or other thick caramel spread into 1/3 of the dough. Once you have formed the walnut sized balls, place half a teaspoon of caramel in the centre of each ball.
Chocolate Caramel Cookies
Mix in 2 tablespoons of Dutch cocoa and 2 tablespoons of dulce de leche or caramel spread into 1/3 of the dough; add a handful of dark or milk chocolate bits to the mixture.
Stem Ginger Cookies
Add 2 teaspoons of ground ginger to 1/3 of the dough. Finely chop a handful of stem ginger (about 10 pieces), or pulse in the food processor with the dough. Once you have formed the walnut sized balls, place a sliver of stem ginger on the top of each cookie.
The Quirk and the Cool 