Norwegian butter cookies

Enjoy these traditional Norwegian butter cookies at Christmas as a treat for family and friends. They’re quick to make, and taste delicious

Prep:17 mins
Cook:10 mins
plus 1 hr chilling and cooling
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 84
fat 4g
saturates 3g
carbs 10g
sugars 0g
fibre 0.3g
protein 1g
salt 0.2g

Ingredients

300g plain flour, sifted
1 tbsp baking powder
200g cold butter, cut into cubes
125g icing sugar, plus 2 tbsp
2 tsp vanilla-infused sugar or golden caster sugar
1 egg, plus 1 lightly beaten egg white for brushing
pearl sugar, or flaked or chopped almonds, for sprinkling

Method

Mix the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt together. Add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in all the icing sugar and the vanilla sugar, then add the whole egg and mix until just combined, but be careful not to overmix.
Transfer the dough to a food bag and put in the fridge to chill for about 1 hr.
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll the chilled dough into about 40 even balls (around 15g each). Arrange the dough balls over two baking sheets lined with baking parchment, leaving space between each for spreading. Using the back of a fork, press the balls down gently in the middle, so they spread to a diameter of about 3cm (they will spread more as they bake). If you prefer flat cookies, use the bottom of a glass.
Brush the cookies with the beaten egg white and sprinkle over the pearl sugar or almonds. Bake for 10 mins, or until just cooked through (the cookies should not be fully browned, just lightly golden at the edges). Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

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