Biscuit recipe for cutting shapes

I want to make biscuits using cookie cutters.Can someone please advise on a recipe that is good for rolling and using the cutters please.Thanks

An easy way is to buy already made short cut sweet pastry, cut into shapes, bake and ice.

Ginger Biscuits.

This rolls out well if you dust surface with flour as necessary during the rolling out process.
Ideally have a cake mixer to do this as it helps to get the mixture to bind together. (My arm muscles seldom have that much omph when it comes to beating cookie dough.)
125 g butter.
1 egg
2 rounded teaspoons ginger
1/2 T golden syrup
1 cup sugar
2 and 1/2 cupsflour
1 rounded teaspoon baking powder.
1. Cream the butter and sugar and syrup.
2. Beat in the egg.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix until the mixture balls up around the beater.
(It should be a play dough texture. If too sticky add a bit more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time.)
4.Roll out to 5-8 mm thick and cut your shapes. These will grow a little, so give them space and if you like them crunchy - 5mm thick, softer = roll thicker.
5. Alternatively, roll tablespoons full into balls and flatten with your hand or a fork.
6. Bake @ 175 Celsius till golden [about 10-12 mins.] 155 Celsius if your oven is on fan bake.

This is halfthe original recipe to make small family size batch. (approx 30 cookies).It came from an "old girls college" recipe collection type of book from the 1940's where it used half a lb of butter, 4 rounded cups flour,and made a huge batch.

If you don't like ginger flavor, simply change for mixed spice, or leave out all together and put in a teaspoon of vanilla, lemon, almond,essence or some such. If you want them chocolate just exchange 2 or 3 T of flour for 2 or 3 T cocoa.

Thanks, the biscuits are for a 3 years old party so plain would be best

a shortbread recipe is good for cutting out

mike547, here's a 'plain' biscuit for you.

VANILLA SUGAR COOKIES FOR DECORATING
From Laurel Watson "The following recipe is the best decorating base I have found as it is tender to eat but still keeps its shape after baking".

185g butter
1 cup caster sugar
1½ tsp vanilla essence
2½ cups plain flour
1 egg

Place butter and sugar in the food processor and whiz until combined.Add the egg and vanilla essence and whiz again to mix, add the flour and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.Knead the dough lightly then press into a dish, wrap in plastic film and chill for at least 30 minutes.Roll out on a floured workbench to about ½ cm, cut out with a cookie cutter that has been dipped in flour (the dough can be re-rolled once).Put the shapes on a baking sheet lined with non stick baking paper.
Bake at180°Cfor10-12 minutes until just golden, cool on a rack and then decorate.
Variations:
• chocolate cookies substitute ¼ cup cocoa powder for ¼ cup flour.
• Stained Glass Biscuits:-Simply cut out a shape from a larger-size biscuit and drop a Heard’s fruit lolly into the hole, bake as per usual and let cool on the baking paper.:-))

+1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5.makes heaps and can decorate in heaps of different ways plus they taste gooooooood!