Norwegian butter cookies

Makes around 40

300g plain all-purpose flour

1tbsp baking powder pinch of salt 200g plus 2tbsp cold butter, cut into cubes 125g plus 2tbsp icing sugar

2tsp vanilla sugar 1 egg

1 egg white, lightly beaten, for brushing pearl sugar (also known as nibbed sugar) or chopped almonds, for sprinkling

Mix the flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add the cubed butter and mix with your fingers until it forms crumbs, then add the icing sugar and vanilla sugar and mix again. Add the whole egg and mix until the dough is even (but be careful not to over-mix).

Pop the dough into a bag and leave to settle in the fridge for an hour. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Line several baking sheets with baking parchment.

Cut the dough into around 40 equal pieces (around 15g), roll into small balls and place on the lined baking sheets. Make sure you leave space around each piece of dough, as they spread out while baking. Using the back of a fork, press each one down gently in the middle to a diameter of around 3cm (they will spread when baking). If you prefer a flat surface, use the bottom of a glass or similar.

Brush the biscuits with the egg white and sprinkle the pearl sugar or chopped almonds over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for around 10 minutes or until just baked through (don’t let them go brown – you want only a slight tinge of colour at the edges). Baking times can vary depending on your oven, so keep an eye on them. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before storing in an airtight container.