This is how I get perfectly shaped cookies

When I started on this cookie decorating adventure, the holy grail of cookies was the perfectly shaped round cookie. The key is the less you handle the cookie the better. Always handle them after chilling the dough so that they are like little hockey pucks! Always remove the dough from around the shapes not the shapes from the dough. Butter should be just soft enough that your finger makes a little indent, so do not leave the butter out so that it is SUPER SOFT.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes cookies come out a little misshaped, but for the most part, if I follow this method, rarely do I get cookies that are imperfectly shaped.
INGREDIENTS
375G UNSALTED BUTTER (ROOM TEMP)
180G CASTER SUGAR
1 TSP PLUS 1/8TH TSP OF BAKING POWDER
1TSP PLUS 1/2 OF TABLE SALT
VANILLA ESSENCE (OR WHAT EVER VANILLA YOU PREFER - ADD TO TASTE)
2 EXTRA LARGE EGGS (ROOM TEMPERATURE)
850-870 G PLAIN FLOUR
INSTRUCTIONS
OVEN TEMP - FAN FORCED (I USE THE ANNA UNOX OVEN IN THE VIDEO)
140 DEGREES CELSIUS
- Attach a paddle scraping attachment to the stand mixer
- In a stand mixer ( I use Kenwood Chef Titanium XL) bowl, add butter, sugar, baking powder and salt
- Mix on a low speed ( 2 ) for several minutes so that the butter changes in colour to pale yellow and looks creamy
- Do not mix on a high speed as it incorporates too much air into the mix
- Add 1 egg at a time (add the next egg after the first is fully mixed in). The egg needs to be at room temp so that it incorporates properly with the butter mixture
- Add Vanilla
- Take the flour and add to the bowl mixing initially with a scraper from the bottom of the bowl to the top
- Mix the flour in slowly until it comes together nicely
- DO NOT OVER MIX - this is important as over-mixing will activate the gluten and you will end up with distorted cookies
- Pop the dough on a bench top, bring together and divide into two sections
- Pop one piece in cling film to stop it drying out
- Take a long piece of baking paper with a teeny sprinkle of flour and press a piece of dough down gently with your hands
- roll the dough between two pieces of baking paper using a rolling pin with guides (I roll to 6mm)
- Once rolled, remove the top sheet and cut your shapes gently pushing down so that you don't push the dough forcefully into neighbouring shapes ( which also causes misshapen cookies)
- Remove the excess dough with a skewer putting this dough aside for a second roll (don't mix the first and second roll dough together
- Pick up the baking paper carefully on each end without bowing the paper too much (bowing the paper will cause the neighbouring shapes to bump into each other and cause distorted shapes) and lay it flat on a fridge shelf (this takes practice but once you do it a few times it is easy)
- Repeat with the second portion of dough
- Mix the two batches of excess dough and re roll carefully trying not to handle too much
- I never use the dough up in full as I find that by the time I roll the second time, it really affects the dough and the cookies do not bake correctly (shrink and are misshaped or even lumpy)
- Refrigerate for 10 mins until the shapes are hard and you can pick up
- Pop on baking tray with space in between
- Bake for 10 mins
- Turn
- Then bake for another 6 mins (or depending on how crunchy you prefer your cookies)
SHELF LIFE
6 WEEKS IN AN AIRTIGHT HEAT SEALED BAG
FREEZE FOR UP TO 3 MONTHS ( I ALWAYS HEAT SEAL THEM INDIVIDUALLY SO THAT THE FLAVOUR IS NOT COMPROMISED)

[@WhippedFood]

Beautiful recipe ! Well done . It is looking really good :P

[@HeyThereCookieMelbourne]

Hello! Thanks for your feedback :))))

[@denitacurtis2594]

Hi, it looks as though you add some eggs to the dough but there’s no mention of them in the sub-titles. Can you confirm? Thank you!

[@denimarmstrong4684]

Hi what are the measurements for this recipe in cups? Thanks 😊

[@HeyThereCookieMelbourne]

Oh gee! I don't use cups as find them too inaccurate :) You could look it up with online with a converter?