Custard Powder Cookies

My recipe today is for the most simple of cookies, Custard Powder Cookies.  These take very little time to make and bake and they taste so delicious.

Custard powder is readily available in all UK supermarkets, and is probably stocked in most home food cupboards. In other countries it is likely to be available in the British section of stores, if not readily available. Bird’s Eye is the most common brand.

These cookies are so easy to make, simply cream the butter with a little vanilla extract and then add the other ingredients and mix a little, using hands to squeeze into a dough.  Then roll out into balls and bake.  They can be made in as little as 30 minutes.

Although I only made 24 this recipe is easily scalable to make as many as you wish.  Mine tasted wonderful and they had that melt in the mouth texture, so they definitely aren’t the time of cookie you would dunk in tea.

Ingredients:

• 150g(10 1/2 tbsp)softened unsalted butter, cubed
• 60g(1/2 cup) icing sugar
• 75g(1/2 cup + 2 tsp)custard powder
• 140g(1 cup + 2 tsp) plain flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350 F.
2. Line a baking tray, or two, with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl cream the butter and the vanilla extract(I used a hand mixer but manually works well too) until light and fluffy.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, icing sugar, custard powder and salt into a bowl.
5. Add to the creamed butter and mix until the mixture starts to clump a little.
6. Use a hand to squeeze the mixture into a dough.
7. Take small clumps of dough, about 18g in weight and roll in the hands to form 24 small balls.
8. Place the balls on the baking tray, leaving a gap between each to allow for spreading.
9. Take a fork and press the tynes down on the top of each ball of dough to make a pattern.
10. Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies have turn a light golden colour.
11. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray for a couple of minutes.
12. Transfer, gently, to a wire rack to cool completely.