Best recipe for using cookie cutters

hi there, just asking the experts as i usually just make basic bikkies which are spooned onto a tray and am making biscuits for a birthday using cookie cutters. any suggestions for the best yummy cookie cutter recipe. many thanks.

Buy a cookie scoop, Farmers has a really nice one, much like the potato scoops, just smaller. I was looking in there just the other day. Some very cute things about, for sure.

I buy the ready rolled shortcrust pastry for the grandchildren to use. They use a variety of cutters and decorations. We have dogs, stars, gingerbreadmen without the ginger and I have just bought some dinosaur cutters off here. Decorations are usually smarties or chocolate hail. Plain chocolate buttons are good too.

VANILLA SUGAR COOKIES FOR DECORATING
As shown by Laurel Watson, on “Good Morning”.
Laurel's comment."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.

Hope that helps.:-))

great idea, just what kids want to do, lol. cook and decorate.

In addition to the shortcrust pastry idea. If you cut a hole/smaller shape out of the middle, put on baking paper, put half a barley sugar (or more if it is a really big hole) in the hole then bake, you get stained glass biscuits.

We haven't tried that one as some are not too keen on any lollies except chocolate. I think you can use any clear boiled lolly. I have seen red and green ones.

thanks, heaps of ideas. :)

Can't go past the Edmonds shrewsbury biccie recipe, even easier if you make it in the kitchen whizz. Whizz recipe attached but if you have no whizz just cream, mix and knead.
I make this recipe constantly with 3yr old granddie and have even supplied the local pre school with samples and the recipe. They luv it:

Shrewsbury Biscuits*(adapted for making in the kitchen whizz)*

125g butter softened (or margarine)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 TBSP grated lemon rind
2 cups flour
1tsp baking powder
Raspberry jam (to fill if desired)

Place butter and sugar in the whizz and cream together.
Add egg and lemon rind and whizz again to combine.
Add sifted flour and baking powder, using the machine on pulsewhile the mixture is combining.
Turn onto a floured board, kneadlightly and roll out to about 4mm thickness
Note: roll out part of the mix at a time, as it’s much easier to handle., and over handling can toughen the mixture.
Cut out desired shapes withcookie cutters.

Bake on greased oven trays at 180 deg. for 10-15mins.
When cold biscuits can either be sandwiched together with raspberry jam, with the top biscuit dusted with sifted icing sugar, or biscuits can be left single and dusted with sifted icing sugar.